Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Contaminants by Silver(I)-Loaded N-Rich Porous Organic Polymers

Heterogeneous photocatalysts with high activity and reactive free radicals can be used to effectively remove water pollutants in harsh environments, which have attracted considerable attention in the environment chemistry. Here, we designed two conjugated organic porous polymers POPs 1-2 with high redox activity and potential π-electron delocalization. Upon combination with silver(I) nitride salt in solution, two metal-anchoring polymeric catalysts POPs 3-4 were successfully constructed, which possessed a strong electron donating ability as well as a high coplanarity and photoelectron properties. Through the loading of AgNO3, the carrier separation ability was effectively improved and the photocatalytic activity of POPs 3-4 was enhanced because of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag localized at the polymer surface. The photocatalytic results demonstrated that POPs 3-4 could degrade RhB, MO and TC under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation efficiency reached 98% for RhB, 34.2% for Mo and 55.5% for TC with the presence of POPs 3-4. Furthermore, two porous polymer catalysts showed an excellent reusability in heterogenous conditions. A plausible photocatalytic mechanism triggered by ROS was proposed for the degradation of organic dyes. This work provided a possibility for development of the highly effective photocatalyst materials towards organic pollutants photodegradation under mild conditions.