LAUSR

Abstract The π–π stacking of self-assembled PTCDI and π–π interactions between self-assembled PTCDI and C60 result in fast transfer of the photogenerated carriers and reduced carrier recombination. The π–π interaction lowers the position of valence band and narrows the band gap, thus leading to a stronger redox ability and a broad spectral response. The organic photocatalyst PTCDI-C60 can not only degrading phenol at a rate of 0.216 h−1, which is 8.24 times higher than that of pure PTCDI, but also producing oxygen at a rate of 22.5 μmol g−1 h−1. Moreover, the presence of C60 stabilizes the composite to decrease the accumulation of negative charge. The high catalytic activity can potentially be utilized in the fields of environmental and energy applications.