Tactic of A−D−A scheme organic photocatalyst with broad spectral feature of absorption enables photocatalytic performance improvement

Abstract

Breakthrough in organic pollutant photodegradation is achieved by linking the photocatalysis technology with the excellent photovoltaic nature of bulk heterojunction organic solar cell (BHJ-OSC) active layers. The first pure organic photocatalytic system built to degrade methylene blue (MB)-laden water by associating biochar supporter with active layers, fabricating a subset of organic photocatalysts, it is the first result of A−D−A scheme to date. The champion catalyst C-PM6:TPA-PDI:PIID-ClBF with excellent wide absorption spectra and fine tunable energy level exhibits greater potential in solar harvesting and prolonging charge lifetime, as well as high reusability and no insoluble residuals after treatment. As a result, this strategy both benefits the production of reactive oxygen species and eliminates concerns regarding insoluble residuals, subtly coping with the common disadvantages of most existing photocatalysts. The C-PM6:TPA-PDI:PIID-ClBF successfully degraded MB with a remarkable efficiency of 100 % achieved in 12 min, while also can maintain this high efficiency for up to 100 cycles, as long as the active materials remain active. These findings step forward in developing photocatalysts that are environmentally friendly and affordable, elucidating significant implications of advancing series of BHJ-OSCs-like photocatalysts for the removal of organic pollutants.