Guest editorial: Oxide semiconductors for solar water disinfection and alternative energy conversion systems

Access to clean, drinking water is still unresolved in many countries, especially in Africa and Asia. Drinking of contaminated water is a major cause of diseases, which are frequently fatal. Also water borne bacteria, such as E.coli, may result in contamination of vegetables as it has been recently observed in Europe. Water treatment requires complex technologies, which need energy and are costly. It appears that toxic contaminants can be removed from water using oxide semiconductors, which are ceramic materials. This special issue of Advances in Applied Ceramics is dedicated to energy conversion systems, which may be used in photocatalytic removal of microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) from water using solar energy as the only driving force of the water treatment process. The development of high-performance photocatalytic systems for water treatment may lead to eradication of the problems caused by water borne diseases. The related multidisciplinary research, which brings together the concepts of the solid state science and biological science, is addressed in the first two papers.