Mesoporous Silica-Based Photocatalytic Materials for Solar Energy Storage and Utilization

Abstract

The efficient storage and application of sustainable solar energy has drawn significant attention from both academic and industrial points of view. However, most developed catalytic materials still suffer from insufficient mass diffusion and unsatisfactory durability due to the lack of interconnected and regulatable porosity. Developing catalytic architectures with engineered active sites and prominent stability through rational synthesis strategies has become one of the core projects in solar-driven applications. The unique properties of mesoporous silicas render them among the most valuable functional materials for industrial applications, such as high specific surface area, regulatable porosity, adjustable surface properties, tunable particle sizes, and great thermal and mechanical stability. Mesoporous silicas serve as structural templates or catalytic supports to enhance light harvesting via the scattering effect and provide large surface areas for active site generation. These advantages have been widely utilized in solar applications, including hydrogen production, CO₂ conversion, photovoltaics, biomass utilization, and pollutant degradation. To achieve the specific functionalities and desired activity, various types of mesoporous silicas from different synthesis methods have been customized and synthesized. Moreover, morphology regulation and component modification strategies have also been performed to endow mesoporous silica-based materials with unprecedented efficiency for solar energy storage and utilization. Nevertheless, reviews about synthesis, morphology regulation, and component modification strategies for mesoporous silica-based catalyst design in solar-driven applications are still limited. Herein, the latest progress concerning mesoporous silica-based catalysis in solar-driven applications is comprehensively reviewed. Synthesis principles, formation mechanisms, and rational functionalities of mesoporous silica are systematically summarized. Some typical catalysts with impressive activities in different solar-driven applications are highlighted. Furthermore, challenges and future potential opportunities in this study field are also discussed and proposed. This present review guides the design of mesoporous silica catalysts for efficient solar energy management for solar energy storage and conversion applications.

Keywords

applications / mesoporous silicas / modification / photocatalytic materials / synthesis

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