Emerging polymeric-based material with photocatalytic functionality for sustainable technologies

A variety of polymer-based photocatalysts for the highest photocatalytic activity through various modifications and improvements such as doping, treatment with the oxidising or reducing agent, and integrating another nanomaterial into the polymer photocatalysts composite are extensively studied. Furthermore, the most common issues on polymer-based photocatalysts, including wide band gap and high recombination rate of charge carriers, still need to be improved to yield high photocatalytic activity. Besides hydrogen evolution through the water splitting system, focus also has been paid to photocatalytic for CO2 reduction, photodegradation of pollutants, photocatalytic chemical synthesis, and photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. This review attempts to reveal the secret of properties, issues, and enhancements, principally in polymer photocatalysts, besides highlighting the reason for polymeric material as a critical non-metal-based photocatalyst for various photocatalytic reactions, as well as conducting polymeric material with photocatalytic functionality.