Influence and applications of refractive index on the catalytic perfomance of photo-responsive materials

Abstract

The fundamental optical property that influences the interaction between light and matter is the refractive index (η). This parameter has garnered a whole lot of attention in the optimization of photocatalytic systems. This study carefully examines how ŋcalculated from absorbance data, affects and enhances the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor materials. Thus, influences how light interacts with the material’s surface and interfaces, potentially affecting charge carrier dynamics and reaction kinetics. The study on commonly used photocatalysts like TiO₂, WO₃, NiO, and ZnO shows that adjusting the n, through the adoption of various techniques, which nanostructuring, and composite formation, can significantly affect light absorption, charge carrier separation, and surface redox reactions of photoactive material. It was observed that higher refractive indices often correlate with enhanced light trapping and absorption, thereby improving photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the study shows that experimental and literature-derived data affirm that the optimization of n directly correlates with improved photocatalytic performance in the application of semiconductors for the degradation of organic pollutants and CO₂ reduction. Furthermore, this study provides a multidimensional framework for tailoring η as a critical parameter in photocatalyst design in material engineering to achieve an optimum property, mainly for environmental remediation and energy conversion purposes.