Nanostructuring of semiconducting materials is currently established as one of the most potent means towards transformative research and technological development in different fields ranging from electronics and photonics to solar energy conversion. Controlling the size, shape, facet growth, and dispersion as well as the pore structure, periodic ordering, and interfaces of metal oxide and metal chalcogenide semiconductors has enabled rational design and engineering of functional nanomaterials for target applications, a major class being photoinduced ones, including photocatalysis, hydrogen evolution, self-cleaning surfaces, optical sensors, photovoltaics, and fuel cells. This Special Issue aims to present recent advances on nanostructured semiconductors with tailored properties for photoinduced applications, such as photocatalytic water/air purification, hydrogen and chemical fuel production, optical sensors including semiconductors for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and photoelectrochemical solar and fuel cells. Particular emphasis will be given to semiconductor growth and processing techniques, heterostructuring and interface engineering, as well as tailoring the materials’ morphology (e.g., low-dimensional materials and photonic crystals) in order to promote light-matter interactions and photon capture, photoinduced charge separation, and mass transfer, which are key factors in photocatalytic and solar energy conversion applications.
Keywords: Nanostructured semiconductors; Low-dimensional semiconductors; Heterojunction semiconductors; Semiconductor photonic crystals; Water and air pollutant degradation; Optical sensors; Semiconductor SERS substrates; Solar cells; Fuel cells; Hydrogen production; CO₂ reduction.