Antimicrobial materials for water disinfection based on visible-light photocatalysts

Since the discovery of photocatalytic water-splitting on TiO2 in 1972, enormous effort has been devoted to the study of TiO2. Since the optical properties of TiO2 and e--h + recombination are essential to the photon-driven applications, these two areas have drawn tremendous research attention in the past few years. But there is no single optimal system to date that has visible-light activity, high photo-efficiency and easy recovery.; In this study, chemical co-doping approach was adopted to achieve desirable properties of TiO2-based photocatalyst. Nitrogen and metal ions selected from the transition metal or the rare earth element group were incorporated into TiO2 to induce a red-shift to the visible-light absorption regime and to enhance photocatalytic activity. The anion and cation co-doped TiO2 was made into various forms, including thin film, fiber, and foam that circumvent the problems associated with catalyst recovery. Chemical composition, structure, microstructure, optical, and photocatalytic properties were investigated to characterize each type of the materials. Electronic structure calculation and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were conducted to understand the role of nitrogen and metal ions.; The photocatalytic property of these visible-light-active photocatalysts were studied in the inactivation of bacteria and bacterial spores in water. Fast killing rate was obtained for the inactivation of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and B. subtilis endospores. The results of mechanistic study provided evidence of oxidative damages, and indicated that hydroxyl radicals are one of the key killing species. Atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy showed that the cell walls were attacked by photocatalytic inactivation. The potential application of the photocatalyst in water disinfection was demonstrated by flow-through tests.