Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review

The increasing presence of pharmaceuticals in water bodies has become a major environmental concern. In addition, the need of sustainable and renewable energy resources has highlighted the importance of hydrogen production via water splitting as clean, green and an efficient alternative to fossil fu...

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Main Authors: Roman Shah, Dilaram Khan, Abdulaziz Al-Anazi, Wisal Ahmad, Irfan Ullah, Noor S. Shah, Javed Ali Khan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Applied Catalysis O: Open
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950648425000185
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author Roman Shah
Dilaram Khan
Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
Wisal Ahmad
Irfan Ullah
Noor S. Shah
Javed Ali Khan
author_facet Roman Shah
Dilaram Khan
Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
Wisal Ahmad
Irfan Ullah
Noor S. Shah
Javed Ali Khan
author_sort Roman Shah
collection DOAJ
description The increasing presence of pharmaceuticals in water bodies has become a major environmental concern. In addition, the need of sustainable and renewable energy resources has highlighted the importance of hydrogen production via water splitting as clean, green and an efficient alternative to fossil fuels. Photocatalysis has emerged as an effective technique for environmental remediation and clean and green energy production. Both ZnO and TiO2 are the promising photocatalysts in this regard. However, due to their wide bandgap and limited visible light absorption capacity, the effectiveness of ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts is hindered under visible light irradiation. Non-metal doping to ZnO and TiO2 is an effective strategy to address these limitations. Hence, this review focused on the degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen evolution using non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2-based visible light active photocatalysts. The non-metals doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts showed improved degradation of pharmaceuticals under visible light irradiation. In addition, these visible light active nanomaterials have also been shown to produce hydrogen at appreciable rates via water splitting. The fundamental principle of photocatalysis including mechanism of electron-hole pair formation, charge separation and various surface reactions have been explored. The role of non-metals doping in increasing the visible light photocatalytic activity of ZnO and TiO2 has been explored. Furthermore, the various methods of preparation such as sol-gel, hydrothermal, co-precipitation and microwave assisted have been discussed. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the current state of non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2, knowledge gap and future research directions.
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spelling doaj-art-7c5df00a539e45cd9045aadde58dce6f2025-08-20T02:33:15ZengElsevierApplied Catalysis O: Open2950-64842025-07-0120420704310.1016/j.apcato.2025.207043Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A reviewRoman Shah0Dilaram Khan1Abdulaziz Al-Anazi2Wisal Ahmad3Irfan Ullah4Noor S. Shah5Javed Ali Khan6Department of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan; Corresponding authors.Department of Chemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; Corresponding authors.The increasing presence of pharmaceuticals in water bodies has become a major environmental concern. In addition, the need of sustainable and renewable energy resources has highlighted the importance of hydrogen production via water splitting as clean, green and an efficient alternative to fossil fuels. Photocatalysis has emerged as an effective technique for environmental remediation and clean and green energy production. Both ZnO and TiO2 are the promising photocatalysts in this regard. However, due to their wide bandgap and limited visible light absorption capacity, the effectiveness of ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts is hindered under visible light irradiation. Non-metal doping to ZnO and TiO2 is an effective strategy to address these limitations. Hence, this review focused on the degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen evolution using non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2-based visible light active photocatalysts. The non-metals doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts showed improved degradation of pharmaceuticals under visible light irradiation. In addition, these visible light active nanomaterials have also been shown to produce hydrogen at appreciable rates via water splitting. The fundamental principle of photocatalysis including mechanism of electron-hole pair formation, charge separation and various surface reactions have been explored. The role of non-metals doping in increasing the visible light photocatalytic activity of ZnO and TiO2 has been explored. Furthermore, the various methods of preparation such as sol-gel, hydrothermal, co-precipitation and microwave assisted have been discussed. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the current state of non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2, knowledge gap and future research directions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950648425000185PhotocatalysisZnOTiO2Non-metals dopingPharmaceuticals degradationHydrogen production
spellingShingle Roman Shah
Dilaram Khan
Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
Wisal Ahmad
Irfan Ullah
Noor S. Shah
Javed Ali Khan
Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
Applied Catalysis O: Open
Photocatalysis
ZnO
TiO2
Non-metals doping
Pharmaceuticals degradation
Hydrogen production
title Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
title_full Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
title_fullStr Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
title_full_unstemmed Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
title_short Non-metal doped ZnO and TiO2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production: A review
title_sort non metal doped zno and tio2 photocatalysts for visible light active degradation of pharmaceuticals and hydrogen production a review
topic Photocatalysis
ZnO
TiO2
Non-metals doping
Pharmaceuticals degradation
Hydrogen production
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950648425000185
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