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Hydrogel photocatalysts for efficient energy conversion and environmental treatment

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Abstract

Photocatalysts have attracted great research interest owing to their excellent properties and potential for simultaneously addressing challenges related to energy needs and environmental pollution. Photocatalytic particles need to be in contact with their respective media to exhibit efficient photocatalytic performances. However, it is difficult to separate nanometer-sized photocatalytic materials from reaction media later, which may lead to secondary pollution and a poor recycling performance. Hydrogel photocatalysts with a three-dimensional (3D) network structures are promising support materials for photocatalysts based on features such as high specific surface areas and adsorption capacities and good environmental compatibility. In this review, hydrogel photocatalysts are classified into two different categories depending on their elemental composition and recent progresses in the methods for preparing hydrogel photocatalysts are summarized. Moreover, current applications of hydrogel photocatalysts in energy conversion and environmental remediation are reviewed. Furthermore, a comprehensive outlook and highlight future challenges in the development of hydrogel photocatalysts are presented.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Japan Science and Technology-Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (JSTSICORP) Grant JPMJSC18H1 and Japan Science and Technology-Program on Open Innovation Platform with Enterprises, Research Institute and Academia (JST-OPERA) Grant JPMJOP1843. This work was also supported by National Natural Science Foundation of Hebei province (No.B2021203028).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China

    Wenwei Lei

  2. Photocatalysis International Research Center, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba, 278-8510, Japan

    Wenwei Lei, Norihiro Suzuki, Chiaki Terashima & Akira Fujishima

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  1. Wenwei Lei
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  2. Norihiro Suzuki
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  3. Chiaki Terashima
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  4. Akira Fujishima
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Correspondence to Chiaki Terashima.

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Lei, W., Suzuki, N., Terashima, C. et al. Hydrogel photocatalysts for efficient energy conversion and environmental treatment. Front. Energy 15, 577–595 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-021-0756-x

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