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.