Electrogeneration of active photocatalysts for wastewater remediation: a review.

Water scarcity is becoming a major issue worldwide due to water pollution and population growth, calling for advanced techniques for water reclamation. For instance, advanced oxidation processes using semiconductor photocatalysts appear promising, yet the light-harvesting capacity of semiconductors must be optimized to ensure complete degradation of contaminants. For this, semiconductors have been modified using electrochemical, sol–gel, hydrothermal, co-precipitation, and microwave-assisted methods. Here, we review electro-fabrication strategies for generating photocatalytic systems for wastewater remediation. We found that the photophysical properties of electrogenerated photocatalysts can be optimized by modulating electrochemical parameters, customizing the electrolyte component, integration of other synthetic routes, innovative technology in the electrochemical setup, and optimization at the final crystallization stages. We focus on anodic dissolution, anodization, metal electrodeposition, current and potential, electrolyte agitation and formulation, additives, electrosynthesis temperature, solvents, crystallization and unconventional electrochemical setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]