Current Chinese Science - Online First

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution represents a promising route for sustainable and clean energy production. Integrating carbon fiber with various photocatalysts has shown significant enhancements in photocatalytic efficiency. This enhancement is primarily due to carbon fibers’ high conductivity, large surface area, and exceptional mechanical stability, which collectively promote electron transfer, charge separation, light absorption, active site enrichment, and improve catalysts’ robustness and resistance to environmental variation. Despite its potential, the use of carbon fiber in this field has been less explored compared to other conductive supports. Aiming to provide insights for future studies, this paper reviews the current advancements in integrating carbon fibers within photocatalytic systems, exploring the underlying mechanisms and future perspectives to boost hydrogen evolution efficiency and sustainability further.