Degradation of emergent pollutants using visible light-triggered photocatalysts

Visible light-induced degradation of emergent pollutants has been of considerable major research interest over the past decades for environmental pollution control and wastewater treatment compared to ultraviolet (UV) light-assisted decomposition. UV light-induced photocatalysis requires expensive light sources, demonstrates ineffective solar light utilization, and is also not recommended for living beings. Significant research has been conducted to extend up to the visible wavelength region of varied materials including conventional semiconductors and emerging photoelectronic materials such as nanoscale plasmonic metal particles, semiconductors, and 2D materials for efficient degradation of pollutants. The main benefits of active photocatalytic materials are their remarkable light absorption capability, efficient charge separation and transfer, and active radical species generation. This chapter summarizes the remarkable efforts from a broad materials perspective and discusses strategies to move forward to practical implementation.