Recent Research Progress on the Preparation and Applications of Metallic, Semiconducting, and Carbon-Based Photothermal Nanomaterials

Energy obtained by green ways with releasing environmental pollution is still a challenge for sustainable development for model society. Among energy technologies, photothermal conversion by using solar energy has become a new field and a hot topic in recent years. Based on the exploration of nanomaterials in the past decades, photothermal nanomaterials by using nanomaterials bring new chances for expending the utilization of green energy with high efficiency, mainly including metal semiconductors and carbon nanomaterials. Their modulated structure for enhancing light absorption, accelerating transformation of photon into heat, and located heat management were also considered important for promoting the utilization of solar energy and therefore, the strategies for designed and controllable preparing of photothermal nanomaterials were also summarized. The applications of photothermal nanomaterials were also reviewed to reveal the new chances for energy conversion engineering or promoting the solar energy utilization of solar energy in some cold regions or somewhere with low solar irradiation.