The semiconductor photocatalyst is crucial for dealing with the current environmental and energy crises. However, the large-scale applications of the reported semiconductor materials are hampered by the recombination of electrons and holes, low kinetic properties, and slow reaction rates. Herein, a three-dimensional structured kaolin/hydrothermally treated red phosphorus (K/HRP) composite photocatalyst was synthesized. The composition ratio was optimized, and the K₇/HRP composites (contained 7%) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The rhodamine B photodegradation rate constant and the hydrogen production rate were 0.25 min⁻¹ and 252 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, which were higher than those of HRP by 12.4 and 7.2 times, respectively. The enhancement of the HRP photocatalytic activity was attributed to the presence of K, which inhibited the overgrowth and the agglomeration of HRP and shortened the carrier migration distance. The electrostatic interaction between the K and the HRP effectively promoted the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the three-dimensional structure of the K and the HRP construct enhanced the light absorption and provided a pollution-free and large-area transport interface for carriers. This work has paramount guiding importance in the preparation of high-efficiency, cheap, and recyclable nanocomposite photocatalyst materials.

半导体光催化剂对于应对当前的环境和能源危机至关重要。然而，所报告的半导体材料的大规模应用由于电子和空穴的复合，低动力学性能和缓慢的反应速率而受到阻碍。本文合成了三维结构的高岭土/水热处理红磷（K / HRP）复合光催化剂。优化了组成比，K ₇ / HRP复合材料（含量为7％）表现出最高的光催化活性。罗丹明B的光降解速率常数和产氢速率分别为0.25 min ^-1和252μmolh ^-1 g ^-1，分别比HRP高出12.4和7.2倍。HRP光催化活性的增强归因于K的存在，K抑制了HRP的过度生长和聚集，并缩短了载流子迁移距离。钾和HRP之间的静电相互作用有效地促进了光生载流子的分离。此外，K和HRP结构的三维结构增强了光吸收，并为载体提供了无污染的大面积运输界面。这项工作对制备高效，廉价和可回收的纳米复合光催化剂材料具有至关重要的指导意义。