Research on the application of defect engineering in the field of environmental catalysis

Researchers have recently developed various surface engineering approaches to modify environmental catalysts and improve their catalytic activity. Defect engineering has proved to be one of the most promising modification methods. Constructing defects on the surface of catalytic materials can effectively modulate the coordination environment of the active sites, affecting and changing the electrons, geometry, and other important properties at the catalytic active sites, thus altering the catalytic activity of the catalysts. However, the conformational relationship between defects and catalytic activity remains to be clarified. This dissertation focuses on an overview of recent advances in defect engineering in environmental catalysis. Based on defining the classification of defects in catalytic materials, defect construction methods, and characterization techniques are summarized and discussed. Focusing on an overview of the characteristics of the role of defects in electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and thermal catalytic reactions and the mechanism of catalytic reactions. An elaborate link is given between the reaction activity and the structure of catalyst defects. Finally, the existing challenges and possible future directions for the application of defect engineering in environmental catalysis are discussed, which are expected to guide the design and development of efficient environmental catalysts and mechanism studies. This review provides an overview of recent advances in defect engineering for environmental catalysis, addressing current research challenges and proposing future directions. Its aim is to guide the design and development of efficient environmental catalysts, along with future mechanistic studies. • Defines the classification of defects in catalytic materials. • Summary of construction methods and characterization techniques for defects in catalytic materials. • The relationship between catalyst defect structure and reactivity is described. • Future directions of defect engineering in environmental catalysis are discussed.