Organic ligands play pivotal roles in the synthesis and modification of photocatalysts. Small molecular diketones, exemplified by acetylacetone (acac), are a promising class of ligands. Nevertheless, a comprehensive review of their roles in photocatalysis has not yet been conducted. This gap hinders the rational design and application of photocatalysts by using diketones as functional ligands. It is therefore imperative to provide a comprehensive examination of this topic. This review critically summarizes the utilization of acac in photocatalysis from four aspects: the chemical nature and reactivity of acac, the roles of acac in the synthesis and modification of photocatalysts (especially the well-known TiO2), its influence on the photocatalytic processes, and the existing challenges and future prospects for acac-mediated photocatalysis. By providing a critical analysis of the established applications of acac in photocatalysis, we aim to inspire further advancements in the field rooted in fundamental theoretical principles.

中文翻译：

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β-二酮及其衍生物在光催化剂设计中的作用


有机配体在光催化剂的合成和改性中起着举足轻重的作用。以乙酰丙酮 （acac） 为例的小分子二酮是一类很有前途的配体。然而，尚未对它们在光催化中的作用进行全面综述。这一差距阻碍了使用二酮作为功能配体的光催化剂的合理设计和应用。因此，必须对这一主题进行全面的研究。本文从acac的化学性质和反应性、acac在光催化剂（尤其是众所周知的TiO2）的合成和改性中的作用、其对光催化过程的影响以及acac介导的光催化的现有挑战和未来展望四个方面对acac在光催化中的应用进行了批判性总结。通过对 acac 在光催化中的既定应用进行批判性分析，我们旨在激发植根于基本理论原理的该领域的进一步进步。