One pot synthesis of Ti and O co-doped g-C3N4: a novel composite for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic inactivation of E. cloacae

Co-doping is one of the most facile and efficient strategies for boosting the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4. Herein, a series of Ti and O co-doped g-C3N4 (Ti/OCN) composites with excellent photocatalytic inactivation activity of Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) were successfully synthesized by simple calcination of urea/formic acid/TiCl4 precursor. The obtained Ti/OCN-3 possessed the optimal photocatalytic capability with complete inactivation of 6.20 log CFU·ml−1 E. cloacae under 60 min of visible light irradiation. The improved photocatalytic disinfection performance was probably attributed to the synergistic effect of Ti and O co-doping, which led to an extended visible light response and accelerated charge transport efficiency. Furthermore, scavenger trapping and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments revealed that ·O2−, h+ and ·OH were responsible for the enhanced inactivation activity. Overall, this research provided a promising strategy for fabricating g-C3N4-based catalysts to efficiently deal with the hazards of pathogenic microorganisms.