Advances and prospects of porphyrin-based nanomaterials via self-assembly for photocatalytic applications in environmental treatment

A class of compounds called porphyrins are involved in the gas transport, catalysis, and light absorption processes of many animals and plants throughout the world. This natural mechanism can be obtained via supramolecular self-assembly of porphyrin derivatives. Porphyrin-based nanomaterials obtained via self-assembly can be utilized in many promising applications, such as optical energy or information storage devices, solar energy conversion, sensors, nanocatalysts, photoelectronics, and photodynamic therapy. This paper critically reviews recent advances in porphyrin nanostructures fabricated via self-assembly for visible-light photocatalytic reactions, and discusses their properties and applications, especially for environmental treatment. Firstly, it introduced porphyrin and a self-assembly method for fabricating por-phyrin nanomaterials. Methods for fabricating porphyrin nanostructures via self-assembly were then presented, such as re-precipitation, coordination polymerization, and ionic self-assembly. Finally, the applications of porphyrin-based nanomaterials with a focus on photovoltaic applications were over-viewed with highlights from recent works in this field. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.