Prospects for the use of laser spectroscopy to characterize dye degradation photocatalyst nanoparticles: a review

Environmental pollutants cause harm to animals, humans, and ecosystems worldwide, and powerful approaches are urgently needed to address this challenge. Dye degradation photocatalysis is one of the most promising methods for the chemical breakdown of organic pollutants. The large specific surface area produced by nanotechnology significantly improves photocatalytic performance. In the wave of full-fledged research on photocatalytic nanoparticles, there is a higher demand for unique means of characterization, such as real-time growth diagnosis and precise phase modulation of the particles. The advantages of laser spectroscopy are its non-contact methodology, rapid response, and accurate directionality, and therefore, spectral characterization methods are becoming more suitable for the real-time diagnosis of photocatalysts. In this review, traditional and spectroscopic means of characterizing dye degradation photocatalytic nanoparticles were examined. In addition, laser spectroscopic characterization can be performed using PL, LCRS, LSPR, SERS, UTAS, and LIBS, which were introduced in this review. Notably, the regulation applicability of LSPR and SERS with noble metal-based nanoparticles and the real-time flexibility of UTAS and LIBS are advantages during the use of laser spectroscopy to examine nanocomposites of photocatalysis. Moreover, the future development of laser spectroscopy for photocatalytic nanoparticle characterization was discussed.