Visible light responsive CuS/ protonated g-C3N4 heterostructure for rapid sterilization

Hongyan Ding; Donglin Han; Yajing Han; Yanqin Liang; Xiangmei Liu; Zhaoyang Li; Shengli Zhu; Shuilin Wu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122423

Visible light responsive CuS/ protonated g-C₃N₄ heterostructure for rapid sterilization

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Jul 5:393:122423. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122423. Epub 2020 Feb 28.

Authors

Hongyan Ding¹, Donglin Han¹, Yajing Han², Yanqin Liang¹, Xiangmei Liu³, Zhaoyang Li¹, Shengli Zhu¹, Shuilin Wu⁴

Affiliations

¹ The Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
² The Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Electronic address: hanyajing@tju.edu.cn.
³ Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China. Electronic address: liuxiangmei1978@163.com.
⁴ The Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Electronic address: shuilinwu@tju.edu.cn.

PMID: 32135368
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122423

Abstract

As the environment deterioration is becoming more serious, bacterial pollution is threatening the health of human beings. Hence, it is vital to develop rapid and safe sterilization strategy. Herein, CuS/protonated g-C₃N₄(CuS/PCN) composites were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method and electrostatic adsorption. This heterostructured system exhibited enhanced photocatalytic properties under visible light compared with CuS or g-C₃N₄ alone, ascribing to the rapid separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Meanwhile, the obvious photothermal effects of CuS/PCN were achieved and the temperature increased with the increased amount of CuS in the composites due to the more light absorption. However, when the CuS content is more than 10 %, photocurrent density is decreased with increasing the amount of CuS, indicating the increased recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. When the CuS content is 20 %, the composite can perform the optimized synergistic effects of both photothermal action and photocatalysis under light irradiation for 20 min. The corresponding bacteria-killing efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli is 98.23 % and 99.16 %, respectively. The underlying mechanism is that the bacterial membrane can be weakened by reactive oxygen species and bacterial activities are inhibited by hyperthermia. This CuS/PCN heterojunction is promising for environmental disinfection including water and public facilities sterilization.

Keywords: Antibacterial; CuS; Photocatalytic; Photothermal; g-C(3)N(4).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
Anti-Bacterial Agents / toxicity*
Catalysis
Cell Survival / drug effects
Copper / chemistry
Copper / toxicity*
Disinfection / methods*
Escherichia coli / drug effects*
Hot Temperature
Light*
Mice
NIH 3T3 Cells
Nitriles / chemistry
Nitriles / toxicity*
Photochemical Processes
Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*
Static Electricity

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Nitriles
cyanogen
Copper
cupric sulfide