Mechanism, modification and application of silver-based photocatalysts

Rapid industrial developments are accompanied by the massive discharge of pollutants causing damage to the natural environment and energy crisis caused by the overexploitation of energy sources. These pollutants present huge threat to the human society. Photocatalysis can directly obtain energy from sunlight, split water to generate hydrogen, degrade harmful pollutants, sterilize and induce photocatalytic nitrogen fixation and CO₂ reduction, and thus has attracted considerable interest. Silver-based photocatalysts possess great significance for photocatalysis owing to their excellent properties. This article summarizes several types of silver-based photocatalysts, including silver element, silver oxide, silver sulphide, silver halide and silver salt. Catalyst modification measure, such as doping, heterostructure construction, crystal plane control and defect structure, have been introduced. Recent progress in silver-based photocatalysts is summarized from the application fields.