Abstract

Nanocarbon-semiconductor hybrid materials are finding increasing interest for applications in photocatalysis and as photoanodes, because nanocarbons enable improvements of the properties of the semiconductor particles. They can (i) provide a more efficient nanoarchitecture and stabilization of semiconductor nanoparticles, often with unconventional morphologies, (ii) facilitate more efficient electron collection and transport, as well as charge separation, and (iii) introduce additional functionalities relevant for photocatalytic behavior. This concise review introduces general aspects of this field, and selected recent relevant examples to provide indications of critical aspects for further consideration since the current lack of a more systematic approach is hindering the full exploitation of the potential of this new class of nanomaterials. The largest part of the activities in this field is related to photocatalytic depuration of waste emissions, but the applications related to sustainable energy applications, such as DSSC cells and devices to produce solar fuels (H₂ from water photoelectrolysis/splitting and hydrocarbons/alcohols from CO₂), is an area of emerging relevance.