Laser assisted anchoring of cadmium sulfide nanospheres into tungsten oxide nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic and electrochemical energy storage applications

A Review on Pulsed Laser Fabrication of Nanomaterials in Liquids for (Photo)catalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants in the Water System

The water pollution caused by the release of organic pollutants has attracted remarkable attention, and solutions for wastewater treatment are being developed. In particular, the photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants in water systems is a promising strategy to realize the self-cleaning of ecosystems under solar light irradiation. However, at present the semiconductor-based nanocatalysts can barely satisfy the industrial requirements because their wide bandgaps restrict the effective absorption of solar light, which needs an energy band modification to boost the visible light harvesting via surface engineering. As an innovative approach, pulsed laser heating in liquids has been utilized to fabricate the nanomaterials in catalysis; it demonstrates multi-controllable features, such as size, morphology, crystal structure, and even optical or electrical properties, with which photocatalytic performances can be precisely optimized. In this review, focusing on the powerful heating effect of pulsed laser irradiation in liquids, the functional nanomaterials fabricated by laser technology and their applications in the catalytic degradation of various organic pollutants are summarized. This review not only highlights the innovative works of pulsed laser-prepared nanomaterials for organic pollutant removal in water systems, such as the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and the catalytic reduction of toxic nitrophenol and nitrobenzene, it also critically discusses the specific challenges and outlooks of this field, including the weakness of the produced yields and the relevant automatic strategies for massive production.

Fundamentals and comprehensive insights on pulsed laser synthesis of advanced materials for diverse photo- and electrocatalytic applications

The global energy crisis is increasing the demand for innovative materials with high purity and functionality for the development of clean energy production and storage. The development of novel photo- and electrocatalysts significantly depends on synthetic techniques that facilitate the production of tailored advanced nanomaterials. The emerging use of pulsed laser in liquid synthesis has attracted immense interest as an effective synthetic technology with several advantages over conventional chemical and physical synthetic routes, including the fine-tuning of size, composition, surface, and crystalline structures, and defect densities and is associated with the catalytic, electronic, thermal, optical, and mechanical properties of the produced nanomaterials. Herein, we present an overview of the fundamental understanding and importance of the pulsed laser process, namely various roles and mechanisms involved in the production of various types of nanomaterials, such as metal nanoparticles, oxides, non-oxides, and carbon-based materials. We mainly cover the advancement of photo- and electrocatalytic nanomaterials via pulsed laser-assisted technologies with detailed mechanistic insights and structural optimization along with effective catalytic performances in various energy and environmental remediation processes. Finally, the future directions and challenges of pulsed laser techniques are briefly underlined. This review can exert practical guidance for the future design and fabrication of innovative pulsed laser-induced nanomaterials with fascinating properties for advanced catalysis applications.

Pulsed Laser in Liquids Made Nanomaterials for Catalysis

Catalysis is essential to modern life and has a huge economic impact. The development of new catalysts critically depends on synthetic methods that enable the preparation of tailored nanomaterials. Pulsed laser in liquids synthesis can produce uniform, multicomponent, nonequilibrium nanomaterials with independently and precisely controlled properties, such as size, composition, morphology, defect density, and atomistic structure within the nanoparticle and at its surface. We cover the fundamentals, unique advantages, challenges, and experimental solutions of this powerful technique and review the state-of-the-art of laser-made electrocatalysts for water oxidation, oxygen reduction, hydrogen evolution, nitrogen reduction, carbon dioxide reduction, and organic oxidations, followed by laser-made nanomaterials for light-driven catalytic processes and heterogeneous catalysis of thermochemical processes. We also highlight laser-synthesized nanomaterials for which proposed catalytic applications exist. This review provides a practical guide to how the catalysis community can capitalize on pulsed laser in liquids synthesis to advance catalyst development, by leveraging the synergies of two fields of intensive research.