Recent progress in copper-based inorganic nanostructure photocatalysts: properties, synthesis and photocatalysis applications

Environmental pollution and the energy crisis are the two inevitable problems that hinder the sustainable development of human society. Through photocatalysis technology, solar energy can be converted into energy that humans can directly utilize to solve problems, such as the depletion of the Earth’s energy resources and the deterioration of living environments. However, traditional photocatalysts have some disadvantages that limit their practical application. Therefore, developing new visible-light-responsive catalysts and exploring modification strategies to improve their photocatalytic activity are important. Copper and its compounds have attracted extensive attention because of their excellent band structures and photocatalytic activities under visible light. Copper-based inorganic nanostructure photocatalysts can be mainly classified as copper metal, binary oxide, multicomponent oxide and binary sulfide photocatalysts. Although each of these materials can act as independent photocatalysts, they have low efficiency. Therefore, in the past few decades, many efforts have been made to improve their photocatalytic properties. In this review, the basic properties and structures of copper-based inorganic nanostructure photocatalysts are introduced in detail. Strategies for enhancing the photocatalysis performance, preparation methods and applications of copper-based inorganic nanostructure photocatalysts are summarized. In addition, the application and development prospects of copper-based inorganic nanostructure photocatalysts in the future are discussed.