Research progress of TiO₂-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater: bibliometric analysis

The pollution caused by modernization and industrialization has caused serious harm to the biodiversity of the earth. TiO₂-based photocatalyst has been widely studied as an effective and sustainable water environment remediation material. In this study, we analyzed the status and research trends of TiO₂-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater in depression from 2003 to 2023 to provide a reference for further research. "Doping", "Modification" and "Heterojunction" were used as keywords, and 817 related academic literatures were screened out by using Web of Science database. Through the visualization software VOSviewer and CiteSpace, the authors, institutions and literature keywords were clustered. The results show that since 2008, the annual number of published papers on TiO₂-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater has increased from 9 to 114. Among them, China has published 432 articles and made great contributions, and there are many representative research teams. Chinese universities are the main body to study TiO₂-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater, but the cooperation between universities is not as close as that abroad. This paper comprehensively analyzes the research hotspots of TiO₂-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater, such as the doping of TiO₂ and the construction of different types of heterojunctions of TiO₂. It is expected that these analysis results will provide new research ideas for researchers to carry out future research on related topics and let researchers know in-depth research institutions and possible collaborators to conduct academic exchanges and discussions with active institutions.