Application of polyaniline-based photocatalyst in photocatalytic degradation of micropollutants in water: A review

Photocatalytic technology is an efficient method for treating trace organic matter in water. The low efficiency of single semiconductor photocatalysts limits the development of photocatalytic technology. This review paper focus on the research progress of different types of polyaniline-based composites in recent years, including binary or ternary materials formed by compositing with metal oxides/sulfides, bismuth-based chemicals, and nonmetallic semiconductors. The morphology, specific surface area and energy gap of materials are the key factors to determine the effect of photocatalysis. The performance of ternary photocatalyst is better than that of binary photocatalyst. Then, the effect of reaction conditions (light conditions, amount of catalyst, initial concentration of pollutants, inorganic ions, pH value of solution) on the photocatalytic effect was analyzed, and how to improve the photocatalytic efficiency was considered from these perspectives. Additionally, practical applications of PANI-based composites for degradation of dyes and phenolic compounds, which were mineralized by the degradation of PANI-based photocatalysts, are cited to further illustrate the excellent performance of ternary hybrid materials. This paper summarizes typical application examples of PANI-based photocatalysts, points out the existing problems at the present stage, and looks forward to the synthesis of new PANI-based composites with excellent structure and strong photocatalytic properties.