Photothermal-driven enhancing photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis: advances and perspectives

Photocatalysis (PC) and photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) represent promising and efficient avenues for harnessing solar energy to produce sustainable clean energy products and environmental remediation. Yet the current reaction efficiencies remain inadequate, limiting their efficiencies for practice. Despite the growing interest in photothermal-driven PC/PEC systems, there is no comprehensive review that systematically summarises the role of the photothermal effect in bridging the gap between PC and PEC efficiencies. This review initially introduces the fundamental principles of PC and PEC, alongside the primary photothermal materials and relevant conversion mechanisms. Subsequently, the key influences of photothermal effects on PC and PEC performance (e.g., light absorption, charge separation and transport, and surface reactions) and optimization strategies are discussed. In addition, the latest advancements in solar photothermal conversion are discussed, mainly focused on the widely application of different types of photothermal drive PC and PEC applications, such as PC and PEC oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂ RR), pollutant degradation, and sterilization, serving to illustrate the widespread applicability of the photothermal conversion. Finally, the development prospects and challenges of photothermal-assisted PC and PEC are discussed from the perspective of basic research and practical application. This work provides a timely and systematic framework to guide the rational design of photothermal-enhanced PC/PEC systems for sustainable energy and environmental applications.