Photocatalytic technology is considered as one of the most attractive and promising technologies to directly harvest, convert and store renewable solar energy for generating sustainable and green energy and a broad range of environmental applications. However, the use of a photocatalyst in powder or coating forms restricts its applications due to its disadvantages, such as difficulty in recovery of nano-powder, secondary pollution, low adhesion between photocatalytic coating and substrate material, short service life of photocatalytic film and so on. The investigation and application of photocatalytic glass-ceramics (PGCs) in water purification, bacterial disinfection, self-cleaning and hydrogen evolution have received extensive attention due to their inherent advantages of low cost, easy fabrication, transparency, chemical and mechanical stability. Real-time solutions to energy shortage and environmental pollution faced by the development of human society can be provided by rationally designing the chemical composition and preparation methods of glass ceramics (GCs). This review introduces the concept and crystallization mechanism of PGCs and expounds on the basic mechanism of photocatalysis. Then, the key point difficulties of GCs’ design are discussed, mainly including the methods of obtaining transparency and controlling crystallization technologies. Different modification strategies to achieve better photocatalytic activity are highlighted. Finally, we look forward to further in-depth exploration and research on more efficient PGCs suitable for various applications.

In this work, a multi-functional nanoparticle (TiO₂-KH570-DOPO) has been successfully synthesized through the attachment of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO)-methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO₂). Supercritical carbon dioxide was used as the solvent in order to increase the grafting level. The chemical structure of TiO₂-KH570-DOPO was fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectra, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The modified TiO₂ was incorporated into flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF). The fire performance of FPUF blends was evaluated using microscale combustion calorimetry. Peak heat release rate and total heat release values were reduced from 657.0 W/g and 28.9 kJ/g for neat FPUF sample to 519.2 W/g and 26.8 kJ/g of FPUF specimen containing 10 wt % of TiO₂-KH570-DOPO. Analysis of thermal stability and the observation of char formation suggests that TiO₂-KH570-DOPO is active in the condensed phase.

A series of MCM-41 molecular sieves with different molar ratio of template to silicon were synthesized through hydrothermal synthesis method by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the template, diatomite as the silicon source. By using impregnation method, the Mn-Ce/MCM-41 SCR molecular sieve-based catalysts were prepared. The results observed that when the molar ratio of template to silicon was 0.2:1, the MCM-41 as catalyst carrier has the highest surface area and largest pore volume, it also presented typically ordered hexagonal arrays of uniform channels. The denitration catalytic material based on this carrier has a high number of Lewis acidic sites, and the denitration efficiency can reach more than 93%.

A series of catalytic coatings consisting of MnO_x-CeO₂ and TiO₂ support were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying, which was aimed at the application of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_x. The effect of the load of active component on the coating was firstly studied. The results showed that all the coating presented the highest catalytic activity at approximately 350 °C and the coating with the composition of 20MnO_x/5CeO₂/TiO₂ (wt%) achieved the most powerful performance. The coating was then prepared on a wire-mesh structure substrate, which can be easily assembled as a gas filter. The results showed that the specific surface area was greatly increased resulting in the significant improvement of the catalytic activity of the coating. This strategy offered a promising possibility of removing NO_x and particulate fliting simultaneously in industrial applications.

Large-scale reuse of copper tailings can mitigate environmental hazards and recover strategic elements; this work investigates the feasibility of producing foam glass-ceramics with high copper-tailing content (>70 wt%) by tuning the CaO/SiO₂ ratio to couple melt viscosity and crystallisation. The comprehensive utilisation of these tailings helps mitigate environmental pollution and enhance resource efficiency. In this study, foam glass-ceramics with varying CaO/SiO₂ ratios were synthesised through melt quenching followed by foaming heat treatment. The effects of different CaO/SiO₂ ratios on the foaming behaviour, crystallisation, and microstructure were investigated using DSC, FTIR, viscosity, XRD, SEM, and CT. The results indicate that increasing the CaO/SiO₂ ratio disrupts the three-dimensional network structure of the glass, which lowers the glass viscosity and influences the bubble size and distribution in the foam glass-ceramics. Additionally, the increased CaO content promotes crystal precipitation and enhances the compressive strength of the foam glass-ceramics. At a CaO/SiO₂ mass ratio of 0.22, the foam glass-ceramics exhibited the lower bulk density (240 kg/m³) and thermal conductivity (0.07 W/m·K). The materials also demonstrated good water absorption and compressive strength. This study highlights the potential of using copper tailings in foam glass-ceramics to improve their overall performance, offering promising energy-saving and environmentally friendly solutions.