Graphene based non-metal co-doped nanostructures for photodegradation of persistent organic pollutants & battery application

Non-metal co-doped graphene is promising for energy and environmental applications due to its adjustable electronic features and environmental safety. This review focuses on visible light photocatalytic removal of persistent organic pollutants and rechargeable battery technologies. For photocatalysis, N + S co-doped graphene–TiO₂ hybrids achieved nearly twice the photocatalytic degradation rate of antibiotics compared with undoped systems. For batteries, nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene aerogels retained 95% of their capacity after 1000 charge–discharge cycles in lithium-ion batteries, which is markedly superior to pristine graphene. Design strategies include controlled addition of heteroatoms and creation of hierarchical pore structures, all of which contribute to improvements in activity and long-term durability. This manuscript's unique contribution is its dual focus on environmental remediation and energy storage. The review proposes a six-step roadmap: scalable green preparation methods, real-time mechanistic studies, standardized evaluation protocols, computational guidance for dopant selection, pilot-scale demonstrations, early life-cycle assessment. These directions aim to move non-metal co-doped graphene from laboratory research toward reliable and sustainable industrial applications.