Nanomaterial-Based Photocatalysis

In this chapter, an introduction about nanostructured materials (NsM) and their applications is presented. Semiconducting nanomaterials are attractive because their physical properties are different from those of the bulk due to the quantum-size effect. Also, they provide opportunities to study the effect of spatial confinement and problems related to surfaces or interfaces, which is important for chemistry. Recently, one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials, such as nanowires, nanobelts, nanorods, and nanotubes, have become the focus of intensive research owing to their potential applications in electronic, optoelectronic, electrochemical, electromechanical, and other fields. Further, various outstanding properties of NsM, such as optical absorbance, improved magnetism, and specific surface area, for efficient device fabrication have been summarized. Finally, applications of photocatalysis in different fields reported in the literature have been presented.