Special Issue Overview

Photothermal catalysis has emerged as an important strategy for driving energy- and environment-related reactions by coupling light harvesting, heat generation, charge transfer, and surface catalysis. This approach provides new opportunities to improve reaction efficiency, regulate catalytic pathways, and enable solar-driven chemical conversion under milder conditions.

This special issue focuses on recent advances in photothermal catalytic materials, mechanisms, characterization, theoretical modeling, and reactor/process design. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, CO₂ conversion, dry reforming of methane, hydrogen production, ammonia synthesis, nitrate reduction, selective oxidation, environmental catalysis, plasmonic catalysis, operando characterization, thermal management, and solar-driven reactor engineering.

We invite contributions that explore novel catalytic materials, mechanisms, and processes designed to address multiphase environmental contaminants. Submissions may include experimental studies, theoretical insights, and practical applications that advance the understanding and implementation of environmental catalysis.

Topics included in the Special Issue are:

Photothermal catalysis

Solar-driven catalysis

Light-heat coupling

CO₂ conversion

Dry reforming of methane

Hydrogen production

Ammonia synthesis

Operando characterization

Reactor engineering

Energy conversion

Our Guest Editor Team

Prof. Dr. Yufei Zhao from Beijing University of Chemical Technology

📧Email: 2017500091@buct.edu.cn

🌐Homepage: https://faculty.buct.edu.cn/chemistry/zyf2/main.htm

🔬Research Interests: Controllable Synthesis of Hydrotalcite-Based Nanomaterials and Their Research in Mineralization and Catalysis

Prof. Dr. Hermenegildo Garcia from University of Valencia

📧Email: hgarcia@qim.upv.es

🌐Homepage: https://hg-energy.eu/hermenegildo-garcia/

🔬Research Interests: Heterogeneous catalysis using porous catalysts and nanoparticles

Prof. Dr. Shaobin Wang from Adelaide University

📧Email: shaobin.wang@adelaide.edu.au

🌐Homepage: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/shaobin.wang

🔬Research Interests: Nanomaterials synthesis and applications, Fuels and energy conversion, Methane conversion and olefin production, Reaction engineering and design, Environmental engineering and wastewater treatment, Industrial wastes management and utilization, Carbon dioxide recycling and utilization, Air pollution and control technology

Prof. Dr. Tiannan Ye from Shanghai Jiao Tong University

📧Email: shaobin.wang@adelaide.edu.au

🌐Homepage: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/shaobin.wang

🔬Research Interests: Design and preparation of inorganic functional materials; The relationship between crystal structure, electronic properties and defect structure and material performance; Research on the catalytic application of ammonia synthesis and ammonia decomposition

 Important Date

Submission deadline: December 31, 2026

 How can I submit my paper?

Submissions must be sent via the journal submission website: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/transtju

Contact Us

If you encounter any issues with your submission, please feel free to contact the journal’s Managing Editor, Jie Liu (jie.liu@tju.edu.cn).