Photocatalytic activity

Photocatalytic activity is defined as the ability of a catalyst to enhance photoreactions, particularly in the degradation of harmful substances when exposed to light[1]. In chemistry, photocatalysis is the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a photocatalyst, where the excited state repeatedly interacts with reaction partners forming reaction intermediates and regenerates itself after each cycle[3]. The process involves materials such as zinc oxide nanoparticles, titanium dioxide, and other semiconducting materials that can effectively decompose organic compounds under light exposure[1][5]. When a photocatalyst absorbs energy from light sources, electron-hole pairs are generated if the photon energy is equal to or greater than the photocatalyst's bandgap energy[7]. These electron-hole pairs can then participate in oxidation-reduction reactions, where holes can oxidize substrates and electrons can reduce other materials[5][7]. The process has applications in environmental remediation for breaking down pollutants, water purification, and more recently in biological systems for proximity labeling and cellular studies[2][4]. In biological contexts, photocatalytic systems can generate reactive oxygen species and modulate cellular processes like calcium dynamics when polymer nanoparticles with photocatalytic properties are used in living cells[4].

Other names

Photocatalytic propertiesPhotocatalysisPhotocatalytic reaction