AccScience Publishing / EER / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EER026310031
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REVIEW ARTICLE

Photocatalytic nanomaterials for removing emerging contaminants from water: Materials, mechanisms, applications, and future directions 

Kien Vu1*
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1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Marian University, Indianapolis, Indiana , United States of America
EER, 026310031 https://doi.org/10.36922/EER026310031
Received: 28 July 2026 | Revised: 7 August 2026 | Accepted: 25 August 2026 | Published online: 4 September 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Emerging contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, and personal care products, are increasingly detected in water sources and are difficult to remove using conventional wastewater treatment. Photocatalytic nanomaterials have emerged as a promising technology because they generate reactive oxygen species that can degrade or completely mineralize many persistent organic pollutants under light irradiation. This review summarizes recent advances in photocatalytic nanomaterials for water treatment, with a focus on titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), metal-doped photocatalysts, and heterojunction nanocomposites. The basic principles of photocatalysis, the role of reactive oxygen species, and the main factors affecting photocatalytic performance are discussed. Recent applications for removing pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, PFAS, dyes, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals are also reviewed. Current challenges, including limited utilization of visible light, catalyst recovery, nanoparticle aggregation, photocorrosion, incomplete mineralization, and large-scale implementation, are critically discussed. Finally, future research directions, including solar-driven photocatalysis, photocatalytic membrane systems, multifunctional nanocomposites, artificial intelligence–assisted catalyst design, and life-cycle assessment, are highlighted. This review provides a concise overview of recent progress and identifies key research priorities for developing efficient and sustainable photocatalytic technologies for water treatment.

Keywords
Emerging contaminants
Photocatalytic nanomaterials
PFAS
Pharmaceuticals
Water treatment
Funding
This work was supported by the Enhancing Opportunity for Scholars (EOS) [grant number 2026-EOS-08].
Conflict of interest
The author declares no competing interests.
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