Single-atom catalysts in the photothermal catalysis: fundamentals, mechanisms, and applications in VOCs oxidation

Environmental pollution and energy scarcity are the big challenges for the development of the contemporary society. The significant rise in global temperature further underscores the importance of adopting sustainable and clean energy sources for environmental purification. This review focuses on the photothermal catalytic oxidation technology, which combines the low energy consumption of photocatalysis with the high efficiency of thermocatalysis, demonstrating substantial potential in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This review systematically summarizes the research progresses in the removal of VOCs by the photothermal catalytic methods over the past 5 years, and on the basis of the fundamental principles of photothermal catalysis, this review provides an in-depth analysis of the design principles of single-atom catalysts (SACs), reaction mechanisms, and their prospects in VOCs purification. The research emphasis includes the mechanisms of photothermic action, strategies for catalyst design, performance outcomes, as well as the limitations and challenges faced by the single-atom photothermal catalytic technology. It is envisioned that this review will guide the future development of single-atom photothermal catalysts and significantly advance such an emerging research field.