Advances in bismuth-based non-centrosymmetric materials as polarization-enhanced photocatalysts for environmental remediation and energy conversion

The past several years has witnessed great advances in boosting photocatalytic activity via polarization field to promote the transfer and suppress the recombination of charge carriers. Polarization-enhanced photocatalysis have triggered soaring attention in photocatalytic field. Polarity is a distinct property, widely exists in the interior of non-centrosymmetric (NCS) materials. Among these materials, Bismuth (Bi)-based NCS materials have attracted extensive attention owing to the diverse composition, unique electronic structures, distinctive physiochemical characteristics and hybrid electronic band structure. However, a review that declare the classification and application of Bi-based NCS materials in polarization-enhanced photocatalysis is still absent. Herein, we present a systematic overview on the Bi-based NCS materials applied in polarization-enhanced photocatalysis, starting with the classification and synthesis. Secondly, the fundamental mechanisms of band bending and charge migration regulated by three kinds of polarization effects (ferro-, piezo-, and pyroelectric effects) are introduced. Based on analyzing the structural-activity relationships, the recent advances of Bi-based NCS materials in polarization-promoted photocatalytic processes are overviewed. Meanwhile the optimization strategies to enhance their photocatalytic performance are introduced. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of Bi-based NCS materials in polarization-promoted photocatalysis are discussed.