Designing Atomic Interfaces in Chalcogenides for Boosting Photocatalysis

Abstract

A deeper understanding of interfaces comes after the rapid development of nano‐hybrids. Atomic interfaces with atomic‐level thickness, intimate bonds, inferior charge‐transport resistance, and robust stability have received escalating interest in the field of photocatalysis. Taking into account the fact that the carrier dynamics and spectrum response of candidate photocatalysts like chalcogenides remain suffering, sustained efforts are devoted. Hybridization, which is accompanied by interface designing, behaves as a supportive strategy to enlarge the photocatalytic output. Hence, the comprehensive survey for recent empirical studies on atomic interfaces in chalcogenides is highly desirable. Precisely, the fundamental of atomic interfaces, the devised approaches to design atomic interfaces in chalcogenides and their feasible roles for maneuvering photocatalysis, and the auxiliary advanced characterization are enumerated and summarized. The multifarious interaction of structure, chemical environment, optical and electric properties, and photocatalytic performance in chalcogenides with atomic interfaces is highlighted. Meanwhile, perspectives of atomic interfaces benefiting photocatalysis are given with a summary, and outlooks related to controllable architecture, nucleation mechanism, calculation, and the correlation between atomic interfaces and amended photocatalysis are presented discreetly. Herein, the review is meant to provide the first systematic account of designing atomic interfaces in chalcogenides served for ultimate photocatalytic applications.