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In this paper, a novel sunlight activable photocatalyst system based on the synergistic effect between a double Z-scheme g-C3N4–WO3–Bi2WO6 nanocomposite and long-lasting phosphorescent SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ nanoparticles has been designed, synthesized and successfully applied for the removal of environmental pollutants. It is especially suitable for removing dye pollutants under cloudy weather similar to the conditions in the United Kingdom and Iranian north provinces. The developed photocatalyst system in this work is based on the following important factors; the first factor is applying the double z-scheme structure of the g-C3N4–WO3–Bi2WO6 photocatalyst to prevent fast electron–hole recombination and hence, enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of the proposed system. The second factor is applying long-lasting phosphorescent SrAl2O4 nanoparticles in the photocatalyst composition and hence, enhancing the population of the excited electrons on the photocatalyst surface. The emitted photons from SrAl2O4 nanoparticles are absorbed by the g-C3N4–WO3–Bi2WO6 photocatalyst particles, increasing the photo absorption efficiency of the photocatalyst. This effect enhances the population of the excited electrons on the photocatalyst surface, increasing the photocatalytic reaction speed. In addition, applying phosphorescent SrAl2O4 nanoparticles also retains the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst during the night or when the light sources are off, because the phosphorescence of these nanoparticles can last up to 10 hours. These nanoparticles play the role of tiny lamps for excitation of the photocatalyst particles during the night or during cloudy weather. The proposed system was able to remove up to 98% of the environmental pollutants such as dyes in less than 20 min. In addition, its advantages for removing dye pollutants under simulated cloudy weather were confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Faraday Discussion was held on March 25–27th, 2019 at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, UK and was attended by 160 delegates from over 20 countries. The attendees represented the cross-disciplinary nature of the field, with biologists, engineers, material scientists, theoreticians and experimental chemists of all experience levels coming together to discuss the state of the art. The meeting captured how rapidly the field of artificial photosynthesis has progressed in a short time and highlighted how far we still have to go. In this conference report, the topics of discussion will be outlined with a brief description of the papers presented and a summary of the conference events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 300th Faraday discussion on hot electron processes in plasmonics and catalysis brought together a wide spectrum of delegates from across the globe. Scientists from across multiple disciplines, with a broad spectrum of experience and expertise, joined together in hope of identifying and answering the latest problems within the ever growing hot electron science community. In this paper we present a brief overview of the themes and topics presented at this meeting, highlighting the major findings of each presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]