Advances in the Preparation of Carrier-Based Composite Photocatalysts and Their Applications

Photocatalytic technology offers significant advantages in addressing water pollution and energy regeneration challenges. Notably, photocatalytic CO2 reduction technology can convert CO2 into stable, efficient, and clean carbon compounds such as carbon monoxide, methane, ethylene, and other high-value compounds, providing a novel approach to mitigating the global energy crisis and maintaining the carbon balance. However, traditional semiconductor photocatalytic materials face limitations in photocatalytic degradation and reduction due to their low light energy utilization, severe photocorrosion, rapid photogenerated carrier recombination, and slow electron transport rates. Recent studies have shown that introducing various carrier materials can effectively address these issues. Carrier materials, with their unique properties, enhance semiconductor composite photocatalyst systems, promoting photogenerated carrier separation and improving light energy utilization. This review introduces different carrier materials used in photocatalyst fabrication, systematically explains the preparation strategies for carrier-based composite photocatalysts, and summarizes their applications. Finally, future developments in this field are discussed. This review aims to provide diverse strategies for designing carrier-based photocatalysts, leveraging the special effects of carrier materials to control semiconductor composite modes, interface behaviors, and energy band structures.