Breaking the crystalline barrier: Amorphous nanomaterials in advanced photocatalysis

Amorphous materials exhibit significant potential in photocatalysis due to their higher density of catalytic activity sites. The excellent tunability allows for structural modifications aimed at enhancing various photocatalytic processes, including surface adsorption, electron−hole separation, electron transport, and energy band structure. This paper reviews recent advancements in the modification of amorphous materials to improve their photocatalytic activity. In this paper, we review the recent research progress of amorphous materials to enhance the photocatalytic activity. Firstly, we summarize the commonly used methods for structural modification of amorphous materials. Subsequently, we describe the applications of amorphous materials in different areas of photocatalysis, such as hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide reduction and pollutant degradation. On this basis, the synergistic mechanism of amorphous materials with other types of materials in the photocatalytic process is described. Finally, we summarize the challenges of the individual viewpoints and provide a critical outlook on how amorphous materials can be sustained.