A short review on recent progress of Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts: The role of Bi metal

Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts have extensively been applied in the production of hydrogen, CO₂ reduction and environmental remediation in recent years. This short review summarizes the role of Bi metal as a plasma photocatalyst and cocatalyst. As a cocatalyst, Bi metal can be electron/hole trappers, charge transfer mediators, or oxygen vacancy coordinators. In addition, the preparation methods of the Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts are also reviewed. Challenges and future research directions related to Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts are discussed and summarized, including the use of advanced characterization techniques to refine the reaction mechanism, the difficulties of preparing Bi single atom catalyst, and the improvement of the reduction ability of Bi-based photocatalysts. This review helps understand the reaction mechanisms of the composite photocatalytic systems containing Bi metal and proposes new perspectives for designing the photocatalysts which can control air pollution via a reductive process.