Defect-engineered semiconductor nanomaterials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: mechanistic insights, design strategies, and future perspectives
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Photocatalytic hydrogen production is an insistent route to solar fuel generation, yet its practical efficiency remains limited by charge recombination, photocorrosion, sluggish interfacial kinetics, and inadequate visible-light harvesting. Defect engineering offers a powerful solution by precisely reshaping semiconductor electronic structures, carrier dynamics, surface reactivity, and reaction pathways. Anion vacancies, cation deficiencies, dopant-induced distortions, and surface disorder can create active states, regulate charge separation, and optimise adsorption energetics across oxides, sulphides, nitrides, and carbon-based photocatalysts. Advances in defect-controlled synthesis and operando characterisation are enabling increasingly rational structure–activity relationships. However, defect instability, synthetic reproducibility, ambiguous defect quantification, inconsistent performance benchmarking, and scale-up remain critical barriers. Future progress demands an integrated paradigm coupling defect engineering with morphology control, heterointerface design, and device-level architectures. Such convergence can transform defect-rich photocatalysts from laboratory-scale materials into durable, high-efficiency platforms for economically viable solar hydrogen production.
Source: Materials Technology
Institutions: Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Vivekananda Global University, Jain University, Parul University, Presidency University, Presidency University, Presidency University, Siksha O Anusandhan University, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Saveetha University
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7218866641