Abstract
Highly-monodispersed g-C3N4/TiO2 hybrids with a core/shell structure were synthesized from a simple room temperature impregnation method, in which g-C3N4 was coated through self-assembly on the commercially available Degussa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. Structural and surface characterizations showed that the presence of g-C3N4 notably affected the light absorption characteristics of TiO2. The g-C3N4/TiO2 heterojunctions with metal-free exposed surfaces were directly used as biocompatible photocatalysts for simulated jaundice phototherapy under low-power green-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity and stability of g-C3N4/TiO2 were enhanced relative to pure P25 or g-C3N4, which could be ascribed to the effective Z-scheme separation of photo-induced charge carriers in g-C3N4/TiO2 heterojunction. The photoactivity was maximized in the 4 wt.% g-C3N4-coated P25, as the bilirubin removal rate under green light irradiation was more than 5-fold higher than that under the clinically-used blue light without any photocatalyst. This study approves the future applications of the photocatalyst-assisted bilirubin removal in jaundice treatment under moderate green light which is more tolerable by humans.
Highlights
Highly-monodispersed g-C3N4/TiO2 hybrids with a core/shell structure were synthesized from a simple room temperature impregnation method, in which g-C3N4 was coated through self-assembly on the commercially available Degussa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles
The commercially available P25 TiO2 nanoparticles was considered as a host and template for the self-assembly of g-C3N4 nanosheets, while the cheap and recyclable melamine was used as the sole dispersion liquid
Low cost and high yield, this method is appealing for future application of photocatalyst-assisted phototherapy of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia
Summary
Highly-monodispersed g-C3N4/TiO2 hybrids with a core/shell structure were synthesized from a simple room temperature impregnation method, in which g-C3N4 was coated through self-assembly on the commercially available Degussa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. The g-C3N4/TiO2 heterojunctions with metal-free exposed surfaces were directly used as biocompatible photocatalysts for simulated jaundice phototherapy under low-power green-light irradiation. The photoactivity was maximized in the 4 wt.% g-C3N4-coated P25, as the bilirubin removal rate under green light irradiation was more than 5-fold higher than that under the clinically-used blue light without any photocatalyst. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), a typical layered-stacked metal-free polymer semiconductor with a narrow band gap of 2.7 eV, has attracted intensive attention for its promising applications as a VLD photocatalyst owing to its advantages such as low cost, nontoxicity and stability within PH 0–1410,11. The metal-free g-C3N4 coating layer on the surface of P25 TiO2 plays an important role in the enhanced photocatalytic performance, and shows great potential in future application of phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The application potential of photocatalyst-assisted green light phototherapy was discussed and compared with the conventional high-intensity blue light phototherapy
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