Shape-controlled assemblies of graphitic carbon nitride polymer for efficient sterilization therapies of water microbial contamination via 2D g-C3N4 under visible light illumination

Publication date: November 2019Source: Materials Science and Engineering: C, Volume 104Author(s): Nam Su Heo, Shruti Shukla, Seo Yeong Oh, Vivek K. Bajpai, Sun Uk Lee, Hye-Jin Cho, Suji Kim, Yeonho Kim, Hae Jin Kim, Sang Yup Lee, Young-Si Jun, Mi-Wha Oh, Young-Kyu Han, Seung Min Yoo, Yun Suk HuhAbstractBacterial pathogens of water origin have potential public threats thus suggesting the need of developing efficient and sustainable water disinfection strategies from waterborne pathogens. We set out to synthesize different controlled morphologies of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) polymer, evaluate their comparative effects on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and investigate potential applications in water purification systems. Characterization of the synthesized microstructures of g-C3N4, such as melamine-cyanuric acid (MCA)-based rosette-type, rod-type, 2D hexagonal, and 3D cubic mesoporous silica was accomplished using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microbial inhibitory potential of 2D g-C3N4 photocatalyst against waterborne Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium was evaluated based on the effective activity of 2D g-C3N4 upon visible light excitations. The microbicidal efficiency of 2D g-C3N4 was evident within 30 min of visible light exposure via direct interaction, while o...
Source: Materials Science and Engineering: C - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research