Enhanced generation of long-lived singlet oxygen (1O2) on Bi-Co3O4 for boosted toluene degradation kinetics and air purification performance

Bi 3+ doping enhances the singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) lifetime. • Oxygen vacancy-rich Bi-Co 3 O 4 catalyst. • Under irradiation, Bi-Co 3 O 4 can efficiently degrade toluene and sterilize bacteria. • Bi-Co 3 O 4 exhibits efficient antibacterial activity, providing new insights for practical indoor air purification Developing efficient materials with excellent adsorption properties and photoactivity is pivotal for photocatalytic abatement of VOCs and bacteria in the air. Herein, Bi 3+ -doped Co 3 O 4 (Bi-Co 3 O 4 ) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal-calcination method. Incorporation of Bi 3+ ions induces lattice distortion in Co 3 O 4 , generating oxygen vacancies (OVs), which subsequently modulates the electronic structure of Co 3 O 4 and produces singlet oxygen species ( 1 O 2 ) with a lifetime of 30 min. The Bi-Co 3 O 4 , with a geometric area of 24 cm 2 , achieves complete degradation (100%) of 50 ppm toluene within 30 min and a high mineralization rate of 93.4%. It retains outstanding photocatalytic activity even after multiple usage cycles. Notably, high-reactivity oxygen species at the Bi-Co 3 O 4 interface can effectively eliminate Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ). This work offers theoretical insights for the design of stable and efficient photocatalysts aimed at improving indoor air quality. Download: Download high-res image (212KB) Download: Download full-size image