Energy band engineering and the nature of surface/interface of a semiconductor play a significant role in searching high efficiency photocatalysts. Actually, the active facets, morphology controlling, especially the exposed facets modulation of photocatalysts during preparation are very desirable. In order to achieve high photocatalytic performance, intrinsic mechanism of such anisotropic properties should be fully considered. In this review, we mainly emphasis on the latest research developments of several extensively investigated photocatalysts and their anisotropic photocatalytic properties, as well as the correlation between effective masses anisotropy and photocatalytic properties. It will be helpful to understand the photocatalytic mechanism and promote rational development of photocatalyst for wide applications.
Fujishima, A. and Honda, K. (1972) Electrochemical Photolysis of Water at a Semiconductor Electrode. Nature, 238, 37-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/238037a0
Tong, H., et al. (2012) Nano-Photocatalytic Materials: Possibilities and Challenges. Advanced Materials, 24, 229-251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201102752
Dozzi, M. and Selli, E. (2013) Specific Facets-Dominated Anatase TiO2: Fluorine-Mediated Synthesis and Photoactivity. Catalysts, 3, 455-485. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/catal3020455
Sun, S. and Yang, Z. (2014) Recent Advances in Tuning Crystal Facets of Polyhedral Cuprous Oxide Architectures. RSC Advances, 4, 3804-3822. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3RA45445B
Kuo, C.H. and Huang, M.H. (2010) Morphologically Controlled Synthesis of Cu2O Nanocrystals and Their Properties. Nano Today, 5, 106-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2010.02.001
Ong, W.J., Tan, L.L., Chai, S.P., Yong, S.T. and Mohamed, A.R. (2014) Facet-Dependent Photocatalytic Properties of TiO2-Based Composites for Energy Conversion and Environmental Remediation. ChemSusChem, 7, 690-719. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201300924
Huang, M.H., Rej, S. and Chiu, C.Y. (2015) Facet-Dependent Optical Properties Revealed through Investigation of Polyhedral Au-Cu2O and Bimetallic Core-Shell Nanocrystals. Small, 11, 2716-2726. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.201403542
Martin, D.J., et al. (2015) Efficient Visible Driven Photocatalyst, Silver Phosphate: Performance, Understanding and Perspective. Chemical Society Reviews, 44, 7808-7828. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5CS00380F
Ong, W.J., Tan, L.L., Chai, S.P., Yong, S.T. and Mohamed, A.R. (2014) Highly Reactive {001} Facets of TiO2-Based Composites: Synthesis, Formation Mechanism and Characterization. Nanoscale, 6, 1946-2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3nr04655a
Yang, H.G., et al. (2008) Anatase TiO2 Single Crystals with a Large Percentage of Reactive Facets. Nature, 453, 638-641. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature06964
Martin, D.J., Umezawa, N., Chen, X., Ye, J. and Tang, J. (2013) Facet Engineered Ag3PO4 for Efficient Water Photooxidation. Energy & Environmental Science, 6, 3380-3386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3ee42260g
Umezawa, N., Shuxin, O. and Ye, J. (2011) Theoretical Study of High Photocatalytic Performance of Ag3PO4. Physical Review B, 83, Article ID: 035202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.035202
Wang, G., et al. (2012) Controlled Synthesis of Ag2O Microcrystals with Facet-Dependent Photocatalytic Activities. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22, 21189-21194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2jm35010f
Ma, X., Dai, Y., Guo, M. and Huang, B. (2013) Relative Photooxidation and Photoreduction Activities of the {100}, {101}, and {001} Surfaces of Anatase TiO2. Langmuir, 29, 13647-13654. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la403351v
Roy, N., Sohn, Y. and Pradhan, D. (2013) Synergy of Low-Energy {101} and High-Energy {001} TiO2 Crystal Facets for Enhanced Photocatalysis. ACS Nano, 7, 2532-2540. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/nn305877v
Zhang, J., Zhou, P., Liu, J. and Yu, J. (2014) New Understanding of the Difference of Photocatalytic Activity among Anatase, Rutile and Brookite TiO2. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 16, 20382-20386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4CP02201G
Ma, X., Dai, Y., Guo, M. and Huang, B. (2012) The Role of Effective Mass of Carrier in the Photocatalytic Behavior of Silver Halide-Based Ag@AgX (X = Cl, Br, I): A Theoretical Study. ChemPhysChem, 13, 2304-2309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cphc.201200159
Liu, J., Chen, S. and Zhu, Y. (2012) Electronic Structures and Effective Masses of Photogenerated Carriers of CaZrTi2O7 Photocatalyst: First-Principles Calculations. Solid State Communications, 152, 1650-1654. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssc.2012.05.004
Zhao, Z., Li, Z. and Zou, Z. (2011) Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Monoclinic Clinobisvanite BiVO4. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 13, 4746-4753. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c0cp01871f
Yan, S., et al. (2013) An Ion-Exchange Phase Transformation to ZnGa2O4 Nanocube towards Efficient Solar Fuel Synthesis. Advanced Functional Materials, 23, 758-763. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201202042
Li, Z., et al. (2014) Tuning Photocatalytic Performance of the Near-Infrared-Driven Photocatalyst Cu2(OH)PO4 Based on Effective Mass and Dipole Moment. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 16, 3267-3273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3cp53381f
Bi, Y., et al. (2012) Photocatalytic and Photoelectric Properties of Cubic Ag3PO4 Sub-Microcrystals with Sharp Corners and Edges. Chemical Communications, 48, 3748-3750. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2cc30363a
Bi, Y., Hu, H.Y., Ouyang, S.X., Jiao, Z.B., Lu, G.X. and Ye, J.H. (2012) Selective Growth of Metallic Ag Nanocrystals on Ag3PO4 Submicro-Cubes for Photocatalytic Applications. Chemistry, 18, 14272-14275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201201435
Bi, Y., Ouyang, S., Umezawa, N., Cao, J. and Ye, J.H. (2011) Facet Effect of Single-Crystalline Ag3PO4 Sub-Microcrystals on Photocatalytic Properties. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133, 6490-6492. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja2002132
Wang, H., et al. (2012) Facile Synthesis of Ag3PO4 Tetrapod Microcrystals with an Increased Percentage of Exposed {110} Facets and Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Properties. CrystEngComm, 14, 8342-8344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2ce26366a
Wang, J., et al. (2013) Facile Synthesis of Novel Ag3PO4 Tetrapods and the {110} Facets-Dominated Photocatalytic Activity. CrystEngComm, 15, 39-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C2CE26060C
Jiao, Z.B., et al. (2013) Concave Trisoctahedral Ag3PO4 Microcrystals with High-Index Facets and Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties. Chemical Communications, 49, 636-638. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C2CC37324F
Wang, H., et al. (2012) Facet-Dependent Photocatalytic Properties of AgBr Nanocrystals. Small, 8, 2802-2806. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.201200055
Wang, H., et al. (2012) Facile Synthesis of AgBr Nanoplates with Exposed {111} Facets and Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties. Chemical Communications, 48, 275-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C1CC16423F
Zhang, H., Lu, Y., Liu, H. and Fang, J. (2015) One-Pot Synthesis of High-Index Faceted AgCl Nanocrystals with Trapezohedral, Concave Hexoctahedral Structures and Their Photocatalytic Activity. Nanoscale, 7, 11591-11601. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5NR02049B
Wang, H., et al. (2012) Polyhedral AgBr Microcrystals with an Increased Percentage of Exposed {111} Facets as a Highly Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalyst. Chemistry, 18, 4620-4626. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201102694
Kuang, Q., Zheng, X. and Yang, S. (2014) AgI Microplate Monocrystals with Polar {0001} Facets: Spontaneous Photocarrier Separation and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity. Chemistry, 20, 2637-2645. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201303642
Li, R., et al. (2013) Spatial Separation of Photogenerated Electrons and Holes among {010} and {110} Crystal Facets of BiVO4. Nature Communications, 4, Article No. 1432. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2401
Li, R., Han, H., Zhang, F., Wang, D. and Li, C. (2014) Highly Efficient Photocatalysts Constructed by Rational Assembly of Dual-Cocatalysts Separately on Different Facets of BiVO4. Energy & Environmental Science, 7, 1369-1376. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3ee43304h
Liu, T., Zhou, X., Dupuisc, M. and Li, C. (2015) The Nature of Photogenerated Charge Separation among Different Crystal Facets of BiVO4. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17, 23503-23510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5CP04299B
Zhu, J., et al. (2015) Direct Imaging of Highly Anisotropic Photogenerated Charge Separations on Different Facets of a Single BiVO4 Photocatalyst. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 54, 9111-9114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201504135
Wang, D., et al. (2011) Crystal Facet Dependence of Water Oxidation on BiVO4 Sheets under Visible Light Irradiation. Chemistry, 17, 1275-1282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201001636
Xi, G. and Ye, J.H. (2010) Synthesis of Bismuth Vanadate Nanoplates with Exposed {001} Facets and Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Properties. Chemical Communications, 46, 1893-1895. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b923435g
Thalluri, S.M., et al. (2014) Green-Synthesized BiVO4 Oriented along {040} Facets for Visible-Light-Driven Ethylene Degradation. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 53, 2640-2646. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ie403999g
Jiang, J., Zhao, K., Xiao, X. and Zhang, L. (2012) Synthesis and Facet-Dependent Photoreactivity of BiOCl Single- Crystalline Nanosheets. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134, 4473-4476. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja210484t
Ye, L., Zan, L., Tian, L., Peng, T. and Zhang, J. (2011) The {001} Facets-Dependent High Photoactivity of BiOCl Nanosheets. Chemical Communications, 47, 6951-6953. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c1cc11015b
Cui, Z., Mi, L. and Zeng, D. (2013) Oriented Attachment Growth of BiOCl Nanosheets with Exposed {110} Facets and Photocatalytic Activity of the Hierarchical Nanostructures. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 549, 70-76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2012.09.075
Peng, Y., Wang, D., Zhou, H.Y. and Xu, A.W. (2015) Controlled Synthesis of Thin BiOCl Nanosheets with Exposed {001} Facets and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities. CrystEngComm, 17, 3845-3851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5CE00289C
Li, Y., Wang, Q., Liu, B. and Zhang, J. (2015) The {001} Facets-Dependent Superior Photocatalytic Activities of BiOCl Nanosheets under Visible Light Irradiation. Applied Surface Science, 349, 957-969. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.05.100
Wang, D. H., et al. (2012) Nanosheet-Constructed Porous BiOCl with Dominant {001} Facets for Superior Photosensitized Degradation. Nanoscale, 4, 7780-7785. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2nr32533k
Zhang, X., et al. (2014) Synthesis of a Highly Efficient BiOCl Single-Crystal Nanodisk Photocatalyst with Exposing {001} Facets. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 6, 7766-7772. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am5010392
Ye, L., Su, Y., Jin, X., Xie, H. and Zhang, C. (2014) Recent Advances in BiOX (X = Cl, Br and I) Photocatalysts: Synthesis, Modification, Facet Effects and Mechanisms. Environmental Science: Nano, 1, 90-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3en00098b
Zhang, D., Li, J., Wang, Q. and Wu, Q. (2013) High {001} Facets Dominated BiOBr Lamellas: Facile Hydrolysis Preparation and Selective Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 1, 8622-8629. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3ta11390f
Ye, L., Liu, J., Jiang, Z., Peng, T. and Zan, L. (2013) Facets Coupling of BiOBr-g-C3N4 Composite Photocatalyst for Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 142-143, 1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.04.058
Sun, L., et al. (2015) Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of BiOI/BiOCl Heterojunctions: Key Role of Crystal Facet Combination. ACS Catalysis, 5, 3540-3551. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cs501631n
Ye, L., Tian, L., Peng, T. and Zan, L. (2011) Synthesis of Highly Symmetrical BiOI Single-Crystal Nanosheets and Their {001} Facet-Dependent Photoactivity. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21, 12479-12484. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c1jm11005e
Ye, L., Su, Y.R., Jin, X.L., Xie, H.Q., Cao, F.P. and Guo, Z. (2014) Which Affect the Photoreactivity of BiOBr Single- Crystalline Nanosheets with Different Hydrothermal pH Value: Size or Facet? Applied Surface Science, 311, 858-863.
Xu, H., Ouyang, S.X., Li, P., Kako, T. and Ye, J.H. (2013) High-Active Anatase TiO2 Nanosheets Exposed with 95% {100} Facets toward Efficient H2 Evolution and CO2 Photoreduction. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 5, 1348- 1354. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am302631b
Lazzeri, M., Vittadini, A. and Selloni, A. (2001) Structure and Energetics of Stoichiometric TiO2 Anatase Surfaces. Physical Review B, 63, Article ID: 155409. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.63.155409
Selloni, A. (2008) Anatase Shows Its Reactive Side. Nature Materials, 7, 613-615. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmat2241
Herman, G.S., Sievers, M.R. and Gao, Y. (2000) Structure Determination of the Two-Domain (1 × 4) Anatase TiO2 (001) Surface. Physical Review Letters, 84, 3354-3357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.3354
Sun, L., Zhao, Z., Zhou, Y. and Liu, L. (2012) Anatase TiO2 Nanocrystals with Exposed {001} Facets on Graphene Sheets via Molecular Grafting for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity. Nanoscale, 4, 613-620. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C1NR11411E
Liu, S., Yu, J. and Jaroniec, M. (2011) Anatase TiO2 with Dominant High-Energy {001} Facets: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications. Chemistry of Materials, 23, 4085-4093. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cm200597m
Xu, H., et al. (2013) Anatase TiO2 Single Crystals Exposed with High-Reactive {111} Facets toward Efficient H2 Evolution. Chemistry of Materials, 25, 405-411. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cm303502b
Pan, J., Liu, G., Lu, G.Q. and Cheng, H.M. (2011) On the True Photoreactivity Order of {001}, {010}, and {101} Facets of Anatase TiO2 Crystals. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 50, 2133-2137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201006057
Chen, C.D., et al. (2015) Synthesis of [111]- and {010}-Faceted Anatase TiO2 Nanocrystals from Tri-Titanate Nanosheets and Their Photocatalytic and DSSC Performances. Nanoscale, 7, 7980-7991. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5NR00069F
Zhang, J., et al. (2014) Nanoscale Anatase TiO2 with Dominant {111} Facets Shows High Photocatalytic Activity. Applied Surface Science, 311, 521-528. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2014.05.103
Zhang, J., et al. (2014) Regulating Photocatalytic Selectivity of Anatase TiO2 with {101}, {001}, and {111} Facets. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 97, 4005-4010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jace.13187
Gordon, T.R., et al. (2012) Nonaqueous Synthesis of TiO2 Nanocrystals Using TiF4 to Engineer Morphology, Oxygen Vacancy Concentration, and Photocatalytic Activity. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134, 6751-6761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja300823a
Jiang, G.D., Wei, M., Yuan, S.D. and Chang, Q. (2016) Efficient Photocatalytic Reductive Dechlorination of 4-Chlorophenolto Phenol on {001}/{101} Facets Co-Exposed TiO2 Nanocrystals. Applied Surface Science, 362, 418-426. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.11.229
Grabowska, E., Diak, M., Marchelek, M. and Zaleska, A. (2014) Decahedral TiO2 with Exposed Facets: Synthesis, Properties, Photoactivity and Applications. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 156-157, 213-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.03.019
Sun, S., Song, X., Sun, Y., Deng, D. and Yang, Z. (2012) The Crystal-Facet-Dependent Effect of Polyhedral Cu2O Microcrystals on Photocatalytic Activity. Catalysis Science & Technology, 2, 925-930. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2cy00530a
Ho, J.Y. and Huang, M.H. (2009) Synthesis of Submicrometer-Sized Cu2O Crystals with Morphological Evolution from Cubic to Hexapod Structures and Their Comparative Photocatalytic Activity. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 113, 14159-14164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp903928p
Huang, W.C., Lyu, L.M., Yang, Y.C. and Huang, M.H. (2012) Synthesis of Cu2O Nanocrystals from Cubic to Rhombic Dodecahedral Structures and Their Comparative Photocatalytic Activity. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134, 1261-1267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja209662v
Yang, Y.C., et al. (2014) Facet-Dependent Optical Properties of Polyhedral Au-Cu2O Core-Shell Nanocrystals. Nanoscale, 6, 4316-4324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3nr06293g
Wang, L., et al. (2014) Designing p-Type Semiconductor-Metal Hybrid Structures for Improved Photocatalysis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53, 5107-5111.
Xing, M., et al. (2013) Enhanced Photocatalysis by Au Nanoparticle Loading on TiO2 Single-Crystal (001) and (110) Facets. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 4, 3910-3917.
Dong, M., Zhang, J. and Yu, J. (2015) Effect of Effective Mass and Spontaneous Polarization on Photocatalytic Activity of Wurtzite and Zinc-Blende ZnS. APL Materials, 3, Article ID: 104404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4922860
Yu, W., Zhang, J. and Peng, T. (2016) New Insight into the Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of N-, C- and S-Doped ZnO Photocatalysts. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 181, 220-227. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.07.031
Zhou, P., Yu, J. and Wang, Y. (2013) The New Understanding on Photocatalytic Mechanism of Visible-Light Response N-S Codoped Anatase TiO2 by First-Principles. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 142-143, 45-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.04.063
Yu, J., Zhou, P. and Li, Q. (2013) New Insight into the Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activities of B-, C- and B/C-Doped Anatase TiO2 by First-Principles. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 15, 12040-12047. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3cp44651d
Sang, Y., et al. (2015) From UV to Near-Infrared, WS2 Nanosheet: A Novel Photocatalyst for Full Solar Light Spectrum Photodegradation. Advanced Materials, 27, 363-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201403264
King, L.A., Zhao, W., Chhowalla, M., Riley, D.J. and Eda, G. (2013) Photoelectrochemical Properties of Chemically Exfoliated MoS2. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 1, 8935-8941. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3ta11633f
Xi, J., Zhao, T., Wang, D. and Shuai, Z. (2014) Tunable Electronic Properties of Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Alloys: A First-Principles Prediction. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 5, 285-291. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jz402375s
Faraji, M., et al. (2015) Band Engineering and Charge Separation in the Mo1?xWxS2/TiO2 Heterostructure by Alloying: First Principle Prediction. RSC Advances, 5, 28460-28466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5RA00330J