Efficient integration of covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) for augmented photocatalytic efficacy: A review of synthesis, strategies, and applications

Heterogeneous photocatalysis emerges as an exceptionally appealing technological avenue for the direct capture, conversion, and storage of renewable solar energy, facilitating the generation of sustainable and ecologically benign solar fuels and a spectrum of other pertinent applications. Heterogeneous nanocomposites, incorporating Covalent Triazine Frameworks (CTFs), exhibit a wide-ranging spectrum of light absorption, well-suited electronic band structures, rapid charge carrier mobility, ample resource availability, commendable chemical robustness, and straightforward synthetic routes. These attributes collectively position them as highly promising photocatalysts with applicability in diverse fields, including but not limited to the production of photocatalytic solar fuels and the decomposition of environmental contaminants. As the field of photocatalysis through the hybridization of CTFs undergoes rapid expansion, there is a pressing and substantive need for a systematic retrospective analysis and forward-looking evaluation to elucidate pathways for enhancing performance. This comprehensive review commences by directing attention to diverse synthetic methodologies for the creation of composite materials. And then it delves into a thorough exploration of strategies geared towards augmenting performance, encompassing the introduction of electron donor–acceptor (D-A) units, heteroatom doping, defect Engineering, architecture of Heterojunction and optimization of morphology. Following this, it systematically elucidates applications primarily centered around the efficient generation of photocatalytic hydrogen, reduction of carbon dioxide through photocatalysis, and the degradation of organic pollutants. Ultimately, the discourse turns towards unresolved challenges and the prospects for further advancement, offering valuable guidance for the potent harnessing of CTFs in high-efficiency photocatalytic processes.