Heterogeneous Photocatalysis

Prof. Juan Carlos Colmenares Q. was educated in Colombia through high school, and then moved to Poland in 1991. He graduated from Warsaw University of Technology (Chem.Eng.1995) and obtained his M.Sc. (1997) in Catalysis for Organic Technology and Ph.D. (2004) in Chemical and Material Sciences from the same university and the D.Sc. degree (2015, Habilitation) from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. His interests range from materials science, nanotechnology and heterogeneous catalysis to biomass/CO₂ valorisation, solar chemicals, sonication, photocatalysis and water/air purification. After obtaining his Ph.D., he worked at the University of Cordoba, Spain (2005-2006) in Prof. Marinas's group as a post-doctoral fellow and at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USA) (2006-2009) in Prof. G.A. Olah (Nobel Prize in Chemistry) group as a post-doctoral research associate. He is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow. He is serving as an expert evaluator for many important scientific journals or institutions as well as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Sustainable Chemical Processes journal (Chemistry Central). He has co-authored more than 50 works in international scientific journals and books, and filed two patent applications.

The book explains the principles and fundamentals of photocatalysis and highlights the current developments and future potential of the green-chemistry-oriented applications of various inorganic, organic, and hybrid photocatalysts. The book consists of eleven chapters, including the principles and fundamentals of heterogeneous photocatalysis; the mechanisms and dynamics of surface photocatalysis; research on TiO₂-based composites with unique nanostructures; the latest developments and advances in exploiting photocatalyst alternatives to TiO₂; and photocatalytic materials for applications other than the traditional degradation of pollutants, such as carbon dioxide reduction, water oxidation, a complete spectrum of selective organic transformations and water splitting by photocatalytic reduction. In addition, heterogeneized polyoxometalate materials for photocatalytic purposes and the proper design of photocatalytic reactors and modeling of light are also discussed.

This book appeals to a wide readership of the academic and industrial researchers and it can also be used in the classroom for undergraduate and graduate students focusing on heterogeneous photocatalysis, sustainable chemistry, energy conversion and storage, nanotechnology, chemical engineering, environmental protection, optoelectronics, sensors, and surface and interface science.

Yi-Jun Xu is a Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, China.