Isotope Effects in Photocatalysis: an Underexplored Issue

In order to improve the performance of well-established photocatalysts and to develop new potential photocatalyst materials, an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of photocatalytic reactions is of the utmost importance. An often neglected method for studying the mechanism is the investigation of isotope effects. Although just a few studies related to isotope effects exist, it has been shown to be a powerful tool for exploring mechanisms of photocatalytic processes. Most of the reports are focused on TiO2, which is the most studied photocatalyst, while there is a lack of data for other photocatalyst materials. This mini-review represents an overview of research utilizing isotope effects in the area of photocatalysis. The benefits and the importance of these studies will be highlighted, and the potential for these processes to be applied for the study of further photocatalytic reactions and different photocatalyst materials will be shown.