Main/side chain asymmetric molecular design enhances charge transfer of two-dimensional conjugated polymer/g-C3N4 heterojunctions for high-efficiency photocatalytic sterilization and degradation

Progress of disinfection catalysts in advanced oxidation processes, mechanisms and synergistic antibiotic degradation

Human diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms make people pay more attention to disinfection. Meanwhile, antibiotics can cause microbial resistance and increase the difficulty of disease treatment, resulting in risk of triggering a vicious circle. Advanced oxidation process (AOPs) has been widely studied in the field of synergistic treatment of the two contaminates. This paper reviews the application of catalytic materials and their modification strategies in the context of AOPs for disinfection and antibiotic degradation. It also delves into the mechanisms of disinfection such as the pathways for microbial inactivation and the related influencing factors, which are essential for understanding the pivotal role of catalytic materials in disinfection principles by AOPs. More importantly, the exploratory research on the combined use of AOPs for disinfection and antibiotic degradation is discussed, and the potential and prospects in this field is highlighted. Finally, the limitations and challenges associated with the application of AOPs in disinfection and antibiotic degradation are summarized. It aims to provide a starting point for future research efforts to facilitate the widespread use of advanced oxidation processes in the field of public health.

Adjusting Surface Oxidized Layer of CoTe on PCN via In Situ N-Doping Strategy to Promote Charge Separation of Z-Scheme Heterojunction for Propelling Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

It has been a challenging issue to profoundly actuate the transfer and separation of photoinduced charge carriers by controlling the interface structure inside the heterojunction, owing to the molecular/subnanometric level interface region. Herein, a unique one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) CoTe/PCN Z-scheme heterojunction is fabricated through the self-assembly of CoTe nanorods on the surface of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) nanosheets. Significantly, in situ N-doping in the molecular/subnanometric surface oxidized layer of CoTe nanorods is achieved, effectively adjusting its chemical structure and element chemical states. Moreover, this N-doped surface oxidized layer can serve as a recombination region of photogenerated electrons from PCN and photogenerated holes from CoTe to increase the overall carrier separation efficiency in the Z-scheme heterojunction actuated by the built-in electric field. As a result, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2R) performance is enhanced dramatically, in which the yield of CO generated over the optimal 1D/2D CoTe/PCN heterojunction reaches up to triple than that over PCN. This unique contribution provides an emblematic paradigm for adjusting the interfacial structure of heterojunction and has a profound insight into the interfacial adjusting mechanism to improve the charge separation efficiency in the photocatalytic reaction.