Confined amorphous red phosphorus in metal-organic framework as a superior photocatalyst

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67/red phosphorus (ZIF-67/RP) was prepared for the photo-reduction of Cr(VI) and photo-oxidation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The samples were characterized, and results showed that at 5% mass fraction of ZIF-67, the highest photocatalytic activity was achieved. The degradation rates of Cr(VI) and RhB were 2.2 and 2.6 times that obtained using RP, respectively. The main reason for the improved photocatalytic activity was the synergy of photocatalytic reduction and oxidation, as well as photocatalysis and adsorption. Additionally, with increased pore size, light response were enhanced, the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole was reduced. Overall, these findings indicated the excellent photocatalytic performance of 5% ZIF-67/RP. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.