Crystal Facet Effect of WO3 in Heterogeneous Catalysis: A Review

• • WO3 crystal facets exhibit significant differences in charge separation efficiency, reactant adsorption capacity, and redox activity, directly impacting catalytic performance in photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and thermal catalysis. • • Facet engineering of WO3 enables precise control over geometric morphology, allowing optimization of exposed facets (e.g., {001}, {110}, {010}) to enhance catalytic activity and selectivity. • • Theoretical calculations reveal that facet-dependent performance originates from differences in atomic arrangement, electronic structure, and surface energy, providing a mechanistic basis for rational catalyst design. • • The review identifies current research gaps, including challenges in facet-selective synthesis, stability under reaction conditions, and the need for advanced in-situ characterization to bridge experimental and theoretical insights.