Thermal oxygen sensitization modification and its visible light catalytic antibacterial performance for ZIF-8

•Employing thermal O2 sensitization expands the light absorption of ZIF-8 to the visible range.•The photocatalytic antibacterial rate of T-ZIF-8（after thermal O2 sensitization）for E. coli and S. aureus exceed 99% within 20 min of visible light.•The photocatalytic antibacterial mechanism is revealed by the free radical capture experiment.