Photocatalysis by Nanostructured TiO2-based Semiconductors
Part 8. Green Nanoscience
Published Online: 15 APR 2012
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Handbook of Green Chemistry
How to Cite
Cargnello, M. and Fornasiero, P. 2012. Photocatalysis by Nanostructured TiO2-based Semiconductors. Handbook of Green Chemistry. 8:4:89–136.
- Published Online: 15 APR 2012
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Photocatalysis is one of the most promising fields for sustainable chemistry of the twenty-first century. It can contribute to solving environmental, energetic, and chemical problems and to the sustainable production of commodities in the near future. It has a close relationship with green chemistry since sunlight, which is an intrinsic infinite source of energy, can be used to promote chemical transformations which are generally performed with expensive chemical treatments at medium/high temperatures. The advent of nanotechnology offered the possibility of careful tuning of the properties of the semiconducting materials used in photocatalysis. This resulted in a tremendous improvement in the efficiency of photocatalytic processes in many sectors. Nanomaterials can possess significantly different characteristics to those of the corresponding bulk systems. The manipulation of materials down to the nanometric scale led to a new generation of photocatalysts, which, often under visible light, are significantly more stable and active. TiO2-based materials today represent the major photocatalysts, and their reactivity is strictly related to their nanostructure. This chapter focuses on some key photocatalytic applications of TiO2 and TiO2-related materials, without the intention of being an exhaustive review.
- titanium dioxide;
- green chemistry