Carbon-based, metal-free catalysts for photocatalysis

The direct conversion of solar energy to energy fuels and chemical energy has been regarded as one of the green sustainable ways to address the energy and environmental crisis. Therefore, the development of active, earth-abundant, and stable catalyst materials that are capable of photocatalysis is vitally important in clean and sustainable energy conversion technology. Among the most of materials, carbon-based metal-free material will be a great choice as photocatalyst due to its significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. In recent years, carbon-based metal-free materials, including graphene, carbon quantum dots, and carbon nitride, have been developed as low-cost and highly efficient photocatalysts to reduce or replace metal-based catalysts in the application fields of photocatalytic degradation, photocatalytic hydrogen production, and photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide. This chapter highlights on the important developments and versatile advantages of carbon-based, metal-free photocatalysis in different photocatalytic regions and outlines the key challenges and future opportunities in this exciting field.