Highly efficient purification of emerging pollutants and bacteria in natural water by g-C3N4-sheltered fibers containing TiO2

In this work, a flexible photocatalytic material (TiO 2 @g-C 3 N 4 -cotton) was obtained using modified graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 -CONH-KH550) for the a connection between the natural cotton supports and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) successively. Under the visible light, a valid photocatalytic activity was observed in the degradation of sulfaquinoxaline (SQX) and thiamethoxam. According to the support stability tests and the UV accelerated aging tests, g-C 3 N 4 -CONH-KH550 could shelter the supports with TiO 2 from the oxidation attack by hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generated. The investigation of antibacterial activity showed efficient inactivation of both Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ). Therefore, TiO 2 @g-C 3 N 4 -cotton showed stronger mechanical performance and much longer lifetime compared with TiO 2 @cotton. The degradation products and processes of substrates were investigated. This paper provides a new idea about the construction of an efficient and stable supported photocatalytic material.