Hybridized Nanomaterials for Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity in Solar Fuel Production

Meeting the increasing demand for energy and clean water, access to these resources has become an essential requirement of modern human life. Nanohybrid material engineering is significant for the development of functional materials which can be used as photocatalyst. By optimizing the size, shape, and surface properties of such nanostructures, the photocatalytic process in terms of ensuring sustainable resource supply can be improved. The hybrid nanomaterials aim to obtain a high visible light absorption and low charge recombination resulting in a superior efficiency of photocatalytic reactions. The application areas which benefit from such nanohybrid materials are the filtration and degradation of organic pollutants and the photochemical hydrogen production for solar water splitting. This chapter describes in detail the nanohybrid materials including metal oxides, carbon-based materials, metal sulfides, metal–organic frameworks, and transition metal phosphides as well as bandgap tuning based on these structures, which affect the efficiency of photocatalysis.