A main driver in the progress of the photocatalytic field is the development of catalytic materials able to profit from the whole spectrum of the sun. To do it, such materials need to handle efficiently photons of the UV, visible and infrared regions. This contribution analyzes successful technologies to utilize each type of these photons as well as their binary and, finally, ternary combinations. Such objective leads to the use of complex materials relying in a combination of technologies and exploiting specific physico-chemical effects taking place in nanomaterials and in turn influenced by morphology (primary and secondary size, shape, porosity) and defect structure. Considering UV and visible systems, most successful approaches utilize doped and/or composite systems designed to control the electronic properties of the nano-materials as well as to allow the utilization of up-conversion, persistent-luminescence, charge carrier multiplication and/or plasmonic phenomena. The photo-catalytic use of infrared photons can take place through (the majority) of the above mentioned phenomena but also requires the adequate handling of thermo-photo effects. The optimization of catalytic solid(s) aiming to reach a full profit of the solar spectrum is a continuous quest, relying in the careful design and synthesis of phases and interfaces of multi-element, multi-phase/component solids.