Highly anisotropic 2D nanosheets of inorganic solids with nanometer-level thickness attract a great deal of research activity because of their unique merits in exploring novel high performance photocatalysts applicable for environmental purification and production of renewable clean energy. The 2D inorganic nanosheets possess many valuable properties such as tailorable band structures and chemical compositions, large surface areas, well-defined defect-free surface structure, and tunable electrical conductivities. Due to these unique advantages of 2D inorganic nanosheets, these materials can be used as promising building blocks for hybrid-type photocatalysts with optimized band structures, expanded surface areas, improved charge separation behaviors, and enhanced reaction kinetics. Of prime importance is that unusually strong electronic coupling can occur between very thin 2D inorganic nanosheets and hybridized nanospecies, leading to the synergistic optimization of electronic and optical properties, and thus the remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic activity. Depending on the type of component nanosheets, diverse examples of inorganic nanosheet-based photocatalysts are presented along with the in-depth discussion about critical roles of inorganic nanosheet in these hybrid photocatalysts. Future perspectives in the researches for 2D inorganic nanosheet-based photocatalysts are discussed to offer useful directions for designing and synthesizing novel high performance photocatalysts applicable for renewable energy production and environmental purification.

具有纳米级厚度的高度各向异性的2D无机固体纳米片吸引了大量的研究活动，这是因为它们在探索适用于环境净化和可再生清洁能源生产的新型高性能光催化剂方面的独特优势。二维无机纳米片具有许多有价值的特性，例如可定制的能带结构和化学组成，大表面积，明确定义的无缺陷表面结构以及可调节的电导率。由于2D无机纳米片的这些独特优势，这些材料可用作具有优化的带结构，扩大的表面积，改善的电荷分离行为和增强的反应动力学的混合型光催化剂的有前途的构建基块。最重要的是，非常薄的2D无机纳米片和杂交的纳米物种之间会发生异常强的电子耦合，从而导致电子和光学特性的协同优化，从而显着提高光催化活性。取决于组分纳米片的类型，提出了基于无机纳米片的光催化剂的各种实例，以及关于无机纳米片在这些杂化光催化剂中的关键作用的深入讨论。讨论了基于2D无机纳米片的光催化剂研究的未来前景，为设计和合成适用于可再生能源生产和环境净化的新型高性能光催化剂提供了有用的指导。