Red Phosphorus Nanodot-Decorated Polymeric Carbon Nitride Nanotubes for Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Bacterial Inactivation

Pathogenic microorganisms related to infectious diseases severely threaten human health, and visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalysis is a promising strategy for mitigating microbial-induced health crises. In this work, a superior and effective VLD photocatalyst comprising a red phosphorus nanodot-modified one-dimensional carbon nitride nanotube (RP-CN) heterostructure was synthesized with a simple chemical vapor deposition method and used for bacterial inactivation. The optimized RP (40)-CN rapidly and completely destroyed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (107 CFU mL–1) within 25 and 30 min under irradiation with a white LED, respectively. The efficient photocatalytic activity was attributed to the fact that the matching work function in the CN-RP heterojunction promotes the charge migration/separation that occurs at the CN and RP interface and the broad absorption spectra by RP loading. Additional unpaired photoelectrons reacted with water to generate •O2– radicals and H2O2 for efficient bacterial cell inactivation. The present study highlights the design of nanostructured photocatalysts with wide spectral responses for efficient energy conversion and wide antibacterial scope.