Red- and Black-Phosphorus-Based Materials for Photocatalytic Water Disinfection

Given the growing threat of pathogens in drinking water, exploring novel semiconductor photocatalysts for effective water disinfection has become a critical area of research. Recently, red and black phosphorus have attracted significant attention due to their unique physicochemical properties, making them well suited for photocatalytic water disinfection. Particularly, recent studies have demonstrated that red and black phosphorus can be combined with other materials to improve the photocatalytic disinfection performance of the resulting composites. Herein, we present the first review of red- and black-phosphorus-based materials for photocatalytic water disinfection. This article begins by presenting the fundamental principle of photocatalytic water disinfection before reviewing the latest developments in the application of red- and black-phosphorus-based photocatalysts for this purpose. In conclusion, it provides a summary and proposes potential avenues for future research in this field.