A comprehensive review of oxygen vacancy modified photocatalysts: synthesis, characterization, and applications.

Photocatalytic technology is a novel approach that harnesses solar energy for efficient energy conversion and effective pollution abatement, representing a rapidly advancing field in recent years. The development and synthesis of high-performance semiconductor photocatalysts constitute the pivotal focal point. Oxygen vacancies, being intrinsic defects commonly found in metal oxides, are extensively present within the lattice of semiconductor photocatalytic materials exhibiting non-stoichiometric ratios. Consequently, they have garnered significant attention in the field of photocatalysis as an exceptionally effective means for modulating the performance of photocatalysts. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the concept, preparation, and characterization methods of oxygen vacancies, along with their diverse applications in nitrogen fixation, solar water splitting, CO2 photoreduction, pollutant degradation, and biomedicine. Currently, remarkable progress has been made in the synthesis of high-performance oxygen vacancy photocatalysts and the regulation of their catalytic performance. In the future, it will be imperative to develop more advanced in situ characterization techniques, conduct further investigations into the regulation and stabilization of oxygen vacancies in photocatalysts, and comprehensively comprehend the mechanism underlying the influence of oxygen vacancies on photocatalysis. The engineering of oxygen vacancies will assume a pivotal role in the realm of semiconductor photocatalysis.

Superhydrophobic Self-Supporting BiOBr Aerogel for Wastewater Purification.

This research was focused on the raw material level construction of bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) catalysis-loaded 3D cross-linked network polyurethane (PU) foam via the in situ polymerization method. After modification of superhydrophobic polydivinylbenzene nanoparticles, the PU foam possessed excellent superhydrophobic stability. The larger selective absorption oil phase capacity depended on its macroporous structure, and the existence of catalyst BiOBr (the band gap energy was about 2.57 eV) among the PU foam played a crucial role in degrading water-soluble contaminants under visible light irradiation. In this article, the photocatalytic experiment results verify that it has remarkable recycle degradation ability (the degradation efficiency can reach ∼97%) and the capture experiments indicate that the uppermost active species is h+.