Advanced Photothermal Catalysts for Volatile Organic Compounds Removal: Mechanisms, Design Strategies, and Reaction Pathways

Abstract

Catalytic oxidation represents a prominent strategy for mitigating excessive emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Within this field, photothermal catalysis has attracted considerable attention due to its ability to synergistically utilize both light and thermal energy, enabling efficient VOCs removal under mild conditions while significantly reducing energy consumption. Herein, this review systematically elucidates the fundamental mechanisms of photothermal catalysis and summarizes recent advances in its application for VOCs removal. The influence of design strategies, including A/B site substitution, crystal facet engineering, metal doping, single-atom catalyst strategy, defect engineering, interface interaction, acid etching, and MOFs and their derivatives, on catalytic performance is analyzed. These strategies have been proven to effectively enhance the photothermal synergistic effect by broadening the light absorption range of materials, improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons-holes, and enhancing light-to-heat conversion. Furthermore, the reaction pathways and mechanisms of photothermal catalysis are comprehensively discussed, highlighting the specific catalyst requirements for different VOCs categories. Finally, based on the requirements in complex environments, this article outlines the current opportunities and challenges faced by photothermal catalysts, aiming to guide the further development and practical application of photothermal catalysts in the reduction of VOCs emissions.