Metal Oxide Nanomaterials for Visible Light Photocatalysis
G. Reenamole
Abstract
Metal oxide nanomaterials have received global attention due to their potential applications in the field of energy and environment. Photocatalytic degradation of environmentally harmful pollutants using semiconducting metal oxides, has been studied widely with a special emphasis on enhancing their visible light absorption capacity. Over the past few decades field of semiconductor photocatalysis has largely grown on our lives and continues its diverse applications. However, the expansion of activity towards the visible light region opened new challenges to the synthetic chemists as well as technologists to implement it, both in indoor and outdoor applications. This chapter outlines the different areas of visible light mediated photocatalysis as well as briefly highlighting the state of the art in accomplishing the visible light activity of a range of technologically studied metal oxides materials. In particular, this chapter discusses various categories of visible light absorbing photocatalysts, considerable progress in selection, modification and synthetic strategies adopted for developing potential metal oxides with enhanced visible light absorption capacity. It also summarizes the various applications of metal oxides and challenges that need to be addressed in developing potential visible light absorbing materials for practical applications.