Phase engineering is an emerging strategy for tuning the electronic states and catalytic functions of nanomaterials. Great interest has recently been captured by phase-engineered photocatalysts, including the unconventional phase, amorphous phase, and heterophase. Phase engineering of photocatalytic materials (including semiconductors and cocatalysts) can effectively affect the light absorption range, charge separation efficiency, or surface redox reactivity, resulting in different catalytic behavior. The applications for phase-engineered photocatalysts are widely reported, for example, hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, CO2 reduction, and organic pollutant removal. This review will firstly provide a critical insight into the classification of phase engineering for photocatalysis. Then, the state-of-the-art development of phase engineering toward photocatalytic reactions will be presented, focusing on the synthesis and characterization methodologies for unique phase structure and the correlation between phase structure and photocatalytic performance. Finally, personal understanding of the current opportunities and challenges of phase engineering for photocatalysis will also be provided.
Keywords: CO2 reduction; phase engineering; photocatalysis; pollutant degradation; water splitting.