Fig 1

Schematic diagrams of (a) photocatalysis and (b) thermocatalysis."

Fig 2

Classification of photothermal catalysis."

Table 1

Applications of photothermal catalysis based on single atom catalysts."

Fig 3

(a) Schematic illustration showing the fabrication process of the HPC; (b) SEM, (c) TEM images of HPC-800; (d) Illustration showing the synthesis process of Zn SA-NC; (e) SEM, (f) TEM images of Zn SA-NC; (g) Schematic diagram of the light absorption mechanism. (h) Infrared thermal imaging photos of Zn SA-NC. (i) Temperature changes of a series of samples under light irradiation. (a–c) Adapted with permission 64, Copyright 2019, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. (d–i) Adapted with permission 65, Copyright 2021, Royal Society of Chemistry."

Fig 4

(a) Ethylene selectivity as a function of reaction temperature (under photothermal heating) for Pd1/N-graphene and Pd NPs/N-graphene catalysts; (b) Durability test for the Pd1/N-graphene catalyst for over 24 h at 125 ℃ (under photothermal heating); (c) Comparison of acetylene conversion and ethylene selectivity for Pd1/N-graphene under photothermal heating (UV-Vis irradiation) and direct thermal heating (no UV-Vis irradiation). Photothermal heating: red bar and red line; thermal heating: gray bar and gray line; (d) Effect of solar power density/temperature on the conversion of PET and yield of BHET. Error bars represent standard errors (n = 3); (e) Effect of UV light on the glycolysis of PET in photothermal catalysis and thermal catalysis. Error bars represent standard errors (n = 3); (f) Integrated functionalities of Co SSCs and the photothermal catalytic mechanism of PET glycolysis over Co SSCs. (a–c) Adapted with permission 14, Copyright 2019, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. (d–f) Adapted with permission 66, Copyright 2022, Wiley-VCH GmbH."

Fig 5

(a) Schematic illustration for the synthesis of Ni-BNCNTs@HMPs-NH2; (b) Infrared thermal images of Ni-BNCNTs@HMPs-NH2 in the 3-bromopropylene oxide (20 mg∙mL−1) under 0 to 0.5 W∙cm−2; (c) The yield of product in the CO2 cycloaddition reaction driven by illumination or heating under different temperatures; (d) EPR spectra of Ni-BNCNTs@HMPs-NH2; (e) The proposed mechanism for the CO2 cycloaddition with epoxides on the Ni-BNCNTs@HMPs-NH2. (a–e) Adapted with permission 67, Copyright 2022, Royal Society of Chemistry."

Fig 6

(a) Photocatalytic H2 evolution profiles over different samples under simulated solar light irradiations; Solarheat-assisted photocatalytic H2 evolution of (b) 1 wt% SAAg-g-CN, (c) 1 wt% Pt NP-g-CN and (d) 1 wt% Ag NP-g-CN at different temperatures; TEM Images of 1 wt% Pt NP-g-CN in (e) 25 ℃, (f) 35 ℃, (g) 45 ℃, (h) 55 ℃; 1 wt% Ag NP-g-CN in (i) 25 ℃, (j) 35 ℃, (k) 45 ℃, (l) 55 ℃; 1 wt% SAAg-g-CN in (m) 25 ℃, (n) 35 ℃, (o) 45 ℃, (p) 55 ℃. (a–p) Adapted with permission 72, Copyright 2020, Elsevier B.V."

Fig 7

Evolutions of CO and CH4 of CO2 conversion over (a) bare CdS and (b) 0.86% Ru/CdS under different reaction conditions: 1) UV-Vis-IR light irradiation (0.71 W∙cm−2), 2) UV-Vis-IR light irradiation (0.71 W∙cm−2) with external temperature control, 3) UV-Vis-IR light irradiation with different light intensities (0.96 W∙cm−2 for a and 0.55 W∙cm−2 for b), and 4) IR light irradiation to the desired temperature; (c) PL spectra of the samples; (d) The CO2 adsorption isotherm curves; (e) MS signal of CO2 desorption for CO2 TPD profiles, and (f) CH4 TPD of 0.86% Ru/CdS and 1.14% Ru/CdS-C; (g) Catalytic performances under different light wavelengths; (h) Correlation of activity with heat and light at pH 7. It can be seen that light directly affects the activity of ammonia synthesis through photoexcitation and that heat indirectly affects the activity through subsequent rate enhancements and prolonged exciton lifetime; (i) Photograph of a four-mirror floating-zone solar furnace from Crystal Systems used to mimic a solar concentrator to focus a light beam to provide both heat and photons to the Fe-sMoS2 (3 wt%) without any other energy input from an electrical. (a–f) Adapted with permission 73, Copyright 2021, Wiley-VCH GmbH. (g–i) Adapted with permission 74, Copyright 2021, Elsevier Inc."

Fig 8

(a) Energy profiles for the decomposition of NH3 into H2 and N2 on SA Ni/CeO2 (111) and Ni (111) surfaces. The x-axis illustrates the intermediates; the y-axis illustrates the energy levels of each stage; (b) The H2 generation rate of thermocatalytic NH3 splitting over different catalysts; (c) Schematic diagram of the novel solar heating device and SA Ni/CeO2 combination; (d) Toluene conversion and CO2 yield over Fe2O3, 0.25 Pt1/Fe2O3, and 0.5 Pt1/Fe2O3 under the irradiation of simulated sunlight with 720 mW∙cm−2 light intensity; (e) Toluene oxidation over 0.5 Pt1/Fe2O3 under the irradiation of simulated sunlight with light intensity of 720 mW∙cm−2 at low temperature; (f) Toluene conversion and CO2 yield over 0.5 Pt1/Fe2O3 under the irradiation of simulated sunlight, Vis-IR, UV-Vis, IR, and Vis light. (a–c) Adapted with permission 77, Copyright 2022, Wiley-VCH GmbH. (d–f) Adapted with permission 78, Copyright 2021, Elsevier B.V."

Fig 9

(a) Top and (b) side view of the ASA-c-Ag8Cu1 structure; (c) Production rates of CO and CH4 evolution in catalytic CO2 hydrogenation by ASA-c-Ag8Cu1 catalyst in reference to control samples under full-spectrum light irradiation; (d) The comparison of production rates by ASA-c-Ag8Cu1 (3 nm) catalyst in dark and light conditions at different temperatures. In situ irradiated high-resolution XPS spectra of (e) Ag 3d and (f) Cu 2p. (a–f) Adapted with permission 81, Copyright 2022, Wiley-VCH GmbH."

Fig 10

(a) Correlation between AQEs of 1.1% Pt/Te with light wavelength; (b) Comparison of TOFs fo1.1% Pt/Te, 4.6% Pt/Te, 32.0% Pt/Te at 25 ℃ with light and at 80 ℃ without light; (c) Correlation between TOFs of 1.1%Pt/Te with light intensity; (d) Schematic of a Cu-single-atom Ru surface alloy catalyst with the dry reforming reactants and products shown on the left; (e) Reaction rate and long-term stability and (f) selectivity of photocatalytic MDR under 19.2 W∙cm−2 white light illumination as a function of Ru concentration of the photocatalyst nanoparticles; (g) Long-term stability (filled circles) and selectivity (open circles) for photocatalysis under 19.2 W∙cm−2 white-light illumination (blue circles) and for thermocatalysis at 1000  K reactor temperature (red circles); (h) Light intensity dependence of selectivity in photocatalysis. Error bars represent the standard deviation (σstd) of measurements of three different batches of sample; (i) Temperature dependence of selectivity in thermocatalysis, filled and unfilled circles represent the measurements of two different batches. (a–c) Adapted with permission 82, Copyright 2019, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, (d–i) Adapted with permission 83, Copyright 2020, Springer Nature."