Prof. Chuanyi Wang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanxi University of Science & Technology, China
Title: Defect engineering in photocatalysis towards improved performance for energy and environment sustainability
Abstract:
Photocatalysis driven by solar energy has proven to be a promising technology in addressing the challenges faced by mankind, such as energy crisis and environmental pollution. However, the practical application of photocatalysis is still limited by its intrinsic factors, such as photocatalysts’ light response, and the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. From this prospect, many efforts have been invested, aiming to break through the bottleneck of photocatalysis for practical applications. One strategy we employed is “Defect Engineering”. By means of defect engineering with nanostructured semiconductor photocatalytic materials, we explored the effects of defect microstructure regulation on the polarization piezoelectric properties, photo absorption range, photogenerated carrier behavior, adsorption and activation ability of target molecules, and photocatalytic reaction pathways at typical perovskite composite oxides and carbon nitride, with the purpose of eventually improving their photocatalytic performance in energy and environmental application prospects1-6. The correlation between defect microstructure and photocatalytic and multi-field catalytic activity was revealed. For example, full spectrum response of Bi4Ti3O12 was developed through defect engineering, and it exhibits excellent photocatalytic conversion activity in removing air pollutant NO under irradiation of broad wavelength range of light, up to near-infrared (850 nm). In addition, the manipulation of defect microstructures can significantly improve the polarization and piezoelectric properties of materials, thereby improving the efficiency of multi-field catalytic degradation of antibiotics; the synergistic effect can increase the efficiency of antibiotics’ degradation by more than 7 folds. Furthermore, we extended our “Defect Engineering” strategy to photocatalytic synthesis of NH3 and H2O2, and photo-thermal catalysis for selective conversion of CO2 and plastics etc. Our work shows that defect engineering plays a vital role in photocatalysis, but its precise control and mechanistic understanding are still challenging.
Keywords: Photocatalysis; Defect engineering; Charge Separation; Spectral response; Surface/interface process.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52161145409, 21976116).
References
1. Q. Zhu, C. Wang et al., Appl. Catal. B-Environ., 2022, 319, 121888.
2. Q. Zhu, C. Wang et al., ACS ES&T Engg., 2022, 2, 1365–1375.
3. S. Li, C. Wang et al., Appl. Catal. B: Environ., 2016, 190, 26-35
4. C. Wang et al., Full-Spectrum Responsive Photocatalytic Materials - From Fundamentals to Applications, Elsevier Woodhead Publishing, ISBN: 9780443136313, 2024.
5. Y. Li, C. Wang et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2021, 60, 910-916.
6. X. Liang, C. Wang et al. Appl. Catal. B: Environ., 2024, 357, 124326
Biography:
Chuanyi Wang is a distinguished professor at Shaanxi University of Science & Technology (SUST) of China, serving as Academic Dean at School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Director of Shaanxi Province’s Innovation and Talent Introduction Base, and Director of Xi’an International Joint Research Centre.
Dr. Wang has led more than 30 national/international research projects, including prestigious key research projects sponsored by NSFC and CAS. His research focuses on energy and environmental photocatalysis, environmental materials, waste recycling, and green technologies towards low carbon etc. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles with over 25,000 citations and H-index 90, authorized 73 Chinese/ US patents, published 3 monographs, and has given over 260 invited keynote or plenary talks at national/international conferences and research institutions.
Dr. Wang is an elected Fellow of European Academy of Sciences, RSA Life Fellow, Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry and Fellow of International Association of Advanced Materials, named in the list of the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” since 2021 (ranked top 80 in Physical Chemistry), ScholarGPS Top 0.05% Scholar-Prior 5 Years (overall, and #57 in Environmental Science). He is also a recipient of several prestigious awards, including “Excellent” award in the final review of the CAS Hundred Talents Program, China Tianshan Prize, Contribution Award of Overseas Chinese in China, Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate), and Advanced Materials Laureate etc. Dr. Wang is serving on multiple editorial and scientific advisory boards, e.g., Associate Editor for Environmental Chemistry Letters, Vice President of China Energy Society, acting as Chairman of series national/international conferences, proposal reviewer and final panel for MOST (China), and National Science and Technology Award of China etc.