Photocatalytic Coupling Research Articles

Smart design for CBRN protection by coupling adsorption and photocatalysis: Regeneration adsorbent efficiency – CWAs’ continuous purification

This investigation and optimization of the adsorption and photocatalysis coupling process for treating chemical warfare agents (CWAs) were performed with a compact cartridge based on activated carbon felt (AF) and TiO2 photocatalyst deposited on luminous textiles. The target pollutants were simulants of the chemical warfare agent (yperite), methyl salicylate, diethyl sulfur (a simulant of sulfur mustard gas), and cyclohexane, which is the benchmark for type A gas filtration tests. To take better advantage of this new configuration, an optimization of the photocatalytic process was highlighted with an improvement of the regeneration process by implementing the integrated compactness of desorption by the Joule effect (in situ). In the case of methyl salicylate treatment, the recovery of the adsorption capacity of the AF were about 95% and a working time of 85% compared to initial adsorbent performance. For the second cycle regeneration, the recovered adsorption capacity was about 88% compared to initial capacity. We note also that the working time decrease by 15% for each regeneration step. The evaluation of the new coupling configuration aimed at highlighting the influence of a sulfur compound was encouraging, with a regeneration rate of the adsorbent of about 80%. Compared to MS, the regeneration seems to be more difficult. This is due to by-products (SO2, MSH) formation which is highlighted by the degradation pathway proposed. The removal efficiency of the coupling system (UV-LED/AF) under continuous process, was equal to 36%. This leads an increase in filter working time of 50 min over that of a conventional adsorption process. Special attention was paid to validating the coupling system performance in real conditions. The system was placed on a humanlike seated thermal manikin used to simulate an occupant of a chamber of 30 m3 with the realistic condition of applying chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agent protection. The time protection was 60 and 30 min for respective concentrations of about 150 and 300 mg.m−3.This global investigation addressed how to overcome the scientific barriers to designing a compact, self-contained filtration cartridge for personal protection in CBRN emergency response and management in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Photocatalytic 2-Iodoethanol Coupling to Produce 1,4-Butanediol Mediated by TiO2 and a Catalytic Nickel Complex.

Photocatalytic 2-iodoethanol (IEO) coupling provides 1,4-butanediol (BDO) of particular interest to produce degradable polyesters. However, the reduction potential of IEO is too negative (-1.9 vs NHE) to be satisfied by most of the semiconductors, and the kinetics of transferring one electron for IEO coupling is slow. Here we design a catalytic Ni complex, which works synergistically with TiO2 , realizing reductive coupling of IEO powered by photo-energy. Coordinating by terpyridine stabilizes Ni2+ from being photo-deposited to TiO2 , thereby retaining the steric configuration beneficial for IEO coupling. The Ni complex can rapidly extract electrons from TiO2 , generating a low-valent Ni capable of reducing IEO. The photocatalytic IEO coupling thus provides BDO in 72 % selectivity. By a stepwise procedure, BDO is obtained with 70 % selectivity from ethylene glycol. This work put forward a strategy for the photocatalytic reduction of molecules requiring strong negative potential.

Photocatalytic 2‐Iodoethanol Coupling to Produce 1,4‐Butanediol Mediated by TiO2 and a Catalytic Nickel Complex

AbstractPhotocatalytic 2‐iodoethanol (IEO) coupling provides 1,4‐butanediol (BDO) of particular interest to produce degradable polyesters. However, the reduction potential of IEO is too negative (−1.9 vs NHE) to be satisfied by most of the semiconductors, and the kinetics of transferring one electron for IEO coupling is slow. Here we design a catalytic Ni complex, which works synergistically with TiO2, realizing reductive coupling of IEO powered by photo‐energy. Coordinating by terpyridine stabilizes Ni2+ from being photo‐deposited to TiO2, thereby retaining the steric configuration beneficial for IEO coupling. The Ni complex can rapidly extract electrons from TiO2, generating a low‐valent Ni capable of reducing IEO. The photocatalytic IEO coupling thus provides BDO in 72 % selectivity. By a stepwise procedure, BDO is obtained with 70 % selectivity from ethylene glycol. This work put forward a strategy for the photocatalytic reduction of molecules requiring strong negative potential.

Functionalization of graphitic C3N5 with Pd nanoparticles: An efficient photocatalyst for Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reaction

Utilizing sunlight as a driving force in chemical reactions is a great benefit for a sustainable future. Metal‐based composites are basic components in various catalytic reactions. However, few researches reported carbon nitride‐supported Pd nanoparticles in photocatalytic coupling reactions. This study reports the preparation of a graphitic‐carbon nitride system (C3N5) followed by modification with various amounts of Pd nanoparticles. The C3N5 was synthesized by thermal deammoniation of melem hydrazine precursor and then modified by Pd cations to create a metallic composite. Regarding the N‐rich surface of C3N5, Pd2+ cations are rapidly reduced to Pd nanoparticles in mild conditions, which is strongly supported by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Moreover, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses clearly depicted the formation of 20 nm Pd nanoparticles on the surface of C3N5. The obtained Pd/C3N5 composite exhibited prominent photocatalytic performance for Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reactions (91% during 25 min at room temperature). This study also compares the effect of various amounts of Pd cation in the progress of Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reactions.

Synergistic Coupling of Photocatalysis and Thermocatalysis for Efficient CO2 Conversion by Direct Z‐Scheme WO3/WS2

AbstractPhotothermal CO2 reduction using H2O combined with photocatalysis‐driven H2O splitting combined with thermal catalysis‐supported CO2 reduction has attracted rapid interest in artificial synthesis of solar fuel. With respect to extremely efficient photothermal catalysis, the photothermal impact of TMDCs (Transition Metal Dichalcogenides) facilitates CO2 reduction by activating lattice oxygen in oxide to enhance H2O oxidation. However, the fixed band gap of single photocatalyst is limited. The purpose of this work is to expand the band gap and improve the redox capacity. Hollow boxwood ball‐like WO3/WS2 Z‐scheme heterojunctions were prepared and used for photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction. DFT calculations and UV‐Vis spectra show LSPR effect in WOS heterojunctions, and the optical response extends to near infrared region. By comparison, the photothermal catalytic reduction of WO3/WS2 (9.717 μmol) by CO2 at 513 K is higher than that at 298 K (1.198 μmol) by a factor of 8. The formation of Z‐scheme heterojunction promotes rapid carrier transfer and lowers the reaction energy barrier. As well as the hollow structure improves light utilization and increases the interfacial area and number of active sites. In addition, the WO3/WS2 heterostructure utilizes its unique LSPR effect to generate heat through the photothermal effect, which can also promote molecular activation. This work reveals the important role of the LSPR effect in photothermal catalysis and demonstrates a TMDCs‐based photothermal‐driven catalysts, which presents a promising approach for designing of photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction.

Visible‐light photocatalytic membranes based on heterostructured Fe3O4‐doped g‐C3N4/TiO2 catalysts

AbstractBACKGROUNDDesalination membranes have been widely in demand for separating dyes and salts. However, dyes are easily adsorbed on/in the membranes, deteriorating membrane performance. Coupling photocatalysis and membrane separation might be a promising strategy for efficiently alleviating membrane fouling. Aiming at the defects of single catalyst, this work constructed photocatalytic membranes based on heterostructured Fe3O4‐doped g‐C3N4 (FeCN)/TiO2 catalysts by successively filtrating FeCN aqueous dispersion and titanium butoxide/isopropanol solution on the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile substrate.RESULTSThe H‐bonds among TiO2, FeCN and substrate lead to excellent load stability of the photoresponsive layer. Due to the low‐potential conduction band and high conductivity of Fe3O4 and the low‐potential conduction band of TiO2 in FeCN/TiO2, electrons can be more easily transferred to guarantee the high separation efficiency of electrons and holes. Hence the membrane not only exhibited superior permeability (104 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and dye desalting performance (Coomassie brilliant blue R250 rejection of >98.80% and NaCl rejection of <7.00%), but also displayed highly efficient and stable dye photodegradation.CONCLUSIONThe degradation efficiency surpassed that reported in the literature in comparable circumstances, and the recovery rate of permeability still reached 89.12% after three fouling–photodegradation cycles. This work provides new opportunities for designing high‐efficiency self‐cleaning membranes to solve membrane fouling based on low‐cost materials. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Enhanced Photocatalytic Coupling of Benzylamine to N-Benzylidene Benzylamine over the Organic-Inorganic Composites F70-TiO2 Based on Fullerenes Derivatives and TiO2.

The organic-inorganic composites F70-TiO2, based on fullerene with carboxyl group derivatives and TiO2 semiconductor, have been designed and constructed to become an optical-functional photocatalyst via the facile sol-gel method. The composite photocatalyst obtained shows excellent photocatalytic activity for the high-efficiency conversion of benzylamine (BA) to N-benzylidene benzylamine (NBBA) with air pressure at a normal temperature under visible light irradiation. By optimizing the composition, the composites with the 1:15 mass ratio of F70 and TiO2, denoted as F70-TiO2(1:15), demonstrated the highest reaction efficiency for benzylamine (>98% conversion) to N-benzylidene benzylamine (>93% selectivity) in this study. However, pure TiO2 and fullerene derivatives (F70) exhibit decreased conversion (56.3% and 89.7%, respectively) and selectivity (83.8% and 86.0%, respectively). The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and Mott-Schottky experiment's results indicate that the introduction of fullerene derivatives into anatase TiO2 would greatly broaden the visible light response range and adjust the energy band positions of the composites, enhancing the sunlight utilization and promoting the photogenerated charge (e--h+) separation and transfer. Specifically, a series of results on the in situ EPR tests and the photo-electrophysical experiment indicate that the separated charges from the hybrid could effectively activate benzylamine and O2 to accelerate the formation of active intermediates, and then couple with free BA molecules to form the desired production of N-BBA. The effective combination, on a molecular scale, between fullerene and titanium dioxide has provided a profound understanding of the photocatalysis mechanism. This work elaborates and makes clear the relationship between the structure and the performance of functional photocatalysts.

A Universal Room‐Temperature Approach to Large‐Area Continuous COFs Film for Photocatalytic Coupling of Amines

AbstractLarge‐area continuous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) film is highly desirable for the large‐scale continuous selective photocatalytic coupling of benzylamine (BA); however, traditional synthetic methods for preparing COFs films still suffer from the issues of harsh reaction condition, film breakage, and high energy‐consumption. Herein, a room‐temperature strategy is reported for making large‐area continuous imine‐based COFs film through the “infiltration‐reaction‐assembly” mechanism, demonstrating that such strategy is quite universal for making four types of large‐area COFs films. The as‐made PyTTA‐TPA (PyTTA: 1，3，6，8‐tetrakis(4‐aminophenyl)pyrene, TPA: p‐benzaldehyde) COFs film exhibits excellent catalytic performance for selective photocatalytic coupling of benzylamine (BA) with a high conversion rate of 98.2% and high selectivity of 97% in 3 h, which is the best photocatalytic performance in all reported photocatalysts. In addition, the as‐made COFs film is quite general for achieving photocatalytic coupling of other amine derivatives with outstanding photocatalytic performance of ≈100% conversion rate. Overall, this work brings a significant development for the room‐temperature synthesis of large‐area continuous COFs film to photocatalytic reaction.

High-Performance Light-Harvesting Cotton Fiber Photocatalyst Inspired by “Ring Dyeing” for the Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction

Highly efficient light-harvesting systems (LHSs) with the sequential energy transfer process are important for utilizing solar energy in photosynthesis. However, most light-harvesting systems are nanoparticles and vesicles, which are difficult to prepare and recycle. In this paper, we developed a light-harvesting system based on amino-methyl coumarin acid (AMCA), C.I. Basic Yellow 40 (BY 40), and phloxine B (PhB) organic dyes for photocatalytic cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reactions. The conversion of the CDC reaction using the AMCA–BY 40–PhB system could reach 98.77% in ethanol, which was much higher than that with the main active catalyst PhB alone. In order to recycle and reuse the above catalysts, a facile, simple, and highly efficient light-harvesting cotton photocatalyst AMCA/BY 40/β-SCD-PhB-MCFs was prepared via three steps of cationization of cotton fibers (MCFs), sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (β-SCD) inclusion of donor fluorophores, and final immobilization of fluorophores. These light-harvesting cotton fibers showed excellent catalytic performance, and the catalysis rate of the CDC reaction was 1.57 times higher than that of the PhB-MCFs alone. Its special “ring dyeing” and hierarchical pore structure provided a favorable microenvironment for photocatalysis. The wide range in light absorption, highly efficient energy transfer (53.1%), and antenna efficiency (15.6) of the light-harvesting cotton fiber synergistically enhanced the energy transfer process. Furthermore, the light-harvesting cotton fibers showed high reusability, which could be easily recovered and reused five times without significant catalyst leaching. More interestingly, the fiber could be easily loaded in microchannels of the continuous flow reactor to catalyze the CDC reaction, which successfully achieved gram-scale photosynthesis due to the large specific surface area and easy mass transfer of fiber catalysts.

Photoinduced enhanced catalytic activity for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction using porous poly(lactic acid) fiber with palladium/graphitic carbon nitride

The development of photocatalytic Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction for CC bond formation in organic synthesis will be beneficial to solve environmental problems and reduce production costs. Herein, the porous poly(lactic acid) fiber of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) coupled with palladium (T-Pd@CN/PLA) was prepared by centrifugal-electrostatic spinning and the alkali treatment, where palladium supported on g-C3N4 (Pd@CN) was synthesized by microwave-assisted deposition. T-Pd@CN/PLA porous fibers showed enhanced catalytic activity and broad substrate applicability for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction with aryl bromides and phenylboronic acid as the substrates at room temperature in air under LED light. The electrons generated by g-C3N4 could be efficiently and rapidly transferred to Pd, and more active sites could be exposed due to the porous structure of the fiber. This work may serve as a guideline on the design of catalytic fibers for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction, highlighting the effect of light and pore structure on the efficiency.

Engineering defects in TiO2 for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and organic products

Photoreforming ethanol to simultaneously produce hydrogen and value-added organic products was realized over defected TiO2. Chemically induced defects in TiO2 promoted light absorption and charge separation, enhancing overall photoactivity. The induced defects also regulated product selectivity, leading to greater hydrogen purity and liquid to gaseous carbon ratio. The optimal catalyst generated 0.08 mmol/hr of hydrogen with a purity greater than 99 % and 0.08 mmol/hr of liquid acetaldehyde over a 6 hr timeframe. This was three times greater than the untreated TiO2. Active species trapping revealed that the preferred ethanol oxidation pathway was direct hole transfer, indicating the selectivity relies on surface chemisorption. Surface defects decreased the acetaldehyde adsorption energy, instigating its prompt desorption and suppressing overoxidation into CO2, thus improving the selectivity towards hydrogen and liquid hydrocarbon products. The work offers an alternative approach towards sustainable energy by coupling photocatalysis with waste organic utilization.

Defect engineering mediated molecules coordination activation for one-pot synthesis of secondary amine over Bi2MoO6 hierarchical microspheres

Bi2MoO6 hierarchical microspheres (BMO-SP) consisting of monolayer nanosheets with abundant surface oxygen defects and unsaturated Mo sites are constructed for the one-pot synthesis of secondary amine via a photocatalytic coupling reaction of nitrobenzene (NB) and benzyl alcohol (BA). The performance of this photocatalyst is 12 times higher than that of bulk Bi2MoO6 (BMO-bulk). Experiment results and density functional theory calculations reveal that surface oxygen defects induce more unsaturated Mo atoms facilitating the coordination activation of NB and BA molecules through the formation of –N–O···Mo and –C–O···Mo coordination, respectively. The surface oxygen defects also promote the separation of photogenerated carriers. More photogenerated holes transfer to the surface for oxidizing the activated BA while the photogenerated electrons are trapped by oxygen defects for reducing NB. Thus, the photocatalytic performance is markedly improved. This work successfully designs an efficient photocatalyst for the tandem reaction via surface defect engineering.

Visible-light photoredox-catalyzed coupling of alkylsulfones with α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes

The synthesis of gem-difluoroalkenes by photocatalytic desulfonylative coupling of alkylsulfones with α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes is described. Photoredox Ir complex was found to be an effective catalyst for this transformation through single electron reduction of alkyl 1-phenyltetrazolyl sulfones, providing structurally diverse gem-difluoroalkene products in good yields. The resulting alkenes could be further converted into fluorinated derivatives, highlighting the potential utility of this method in the synthesis of organofluorine compounds.

An overview of wastewater treatment using combined heterogeneous photocatalysis and membrane distillation

The need for efficient remediation solutions to wastewater has risen due to the concerning prevalence of toxic organic pollutants. It is possible for the linked photocatalysis-membrane separation system to concurrently achieve the photoreaction of pollutants and their removal from wastewater in order to accomplish the goal of completely purifying the wastewater. This investigation's objective is to provide analytical overview of the photocatalytic and membrane coupling process, photocatalytic membrane reactors, and the potential applications of these technologies in the treatment of wastewater for the persistent organic matter removal. In the review, an examination of photocatalytic and membrane processes to remove organic compounds from wastewater is presented. Based on the literature analysis, it was observed that the application of photocatalytic membrane reactors is significantly influenced by a wide variety of factors. Some of these factors include pollutant concentration, dissolved oxygen, aeration, pH, and hydraulic retention time. Light intensity is another factor that has a significant influence. It was also revealed how distillation membranes work when integrated with photocatalytic process. This brief overview will help researchers understand how successful coupled photocatalytic and membrane distillation are in the treatment of wastewater containing organic pollutants.

Spatially Separated Redox Cocatalysts on Ferroelectric Nanoplates for Improved Piezophotocatalytic CO2 Reduction and H2O Oxidation.

Utilizing solar and mechanical vibration energy for catalytic CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation is emerging as a promising way to simultaneously generate renewable energy and mitigate climate change, making it possible to integrate two energy resources into a reaction system for artificial piezophotosynthesis. However, the practical applications are hindered by undesirable charge recombination and sluggish surface reaction in the photocatalytic and piezocatalytic processes. This study proposes a dual cocatalyst strategy to overcome these obstacles and improve the piezophotocatalytic performance of ferroelectrics in overall redox reactions. With the photodeposition of AuCu reduction and MnOx oxidation cocatalysts on oppositely poled facets of PbTiO3 nanoplates, band bending occurs along with the formation of built-in electric fields on the semiconductor-cocatalyst interfaces, which, together with an intrinsic ferroelectric field, piezoelectric polarization field, and band tilting in the bulk of PbTiO3, provide strong driving forces for the directional drift of piezo- and photogenerated electrons and holes toward AuCu and MnOx, respectively. Besides, AuCu and MnOx enrich the active sites for surface reactions, significantly reducing the rate-determining barrier for CO2-to-CO and H2O-to-O2 transformation, respectively. Benefiting from these features, AuCu/PbTiO3/MnOx delivers remarkably improved charge separation efficiencies and significantly enhanced piezophotocatalytic activities in CO and O2 generation. This strategy opens a door for the better coupling of photocatalysis and piezocatalysis to promote the conversion of CO2 with H2O.

Degradation of Rhodamine B in the photocatalytic reactor containing TiO2 nanotube arrays coupled with nanobubbles

Although photocatalytic technology is applied in water treatment, the challenge still exists due to its low photocatalytic performance. Herein, a photocatalytic reactor coupled with nanobubbles (NBs) is developed to degrade organic pollutants in wastewater. The reactor contains Ti mesh coated with TiO2 nanotube arrays as a photocatalyst. The introduction of NBs in the reactor increases the dissolved oxygen content to enhance photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic reactor exhibits outstanding photocatalytic performance, and the degradation ability of Rhodamine B is 95.39% after 2 h of irradiation treatment. The reactor also shows excellent photodegradation performance for other organic pollutants, such as methylene blue (74.23%), tetracycline (68.68%), and oxytetracycline hydrochloride (64.10%). Radical trapping experiments further prove that ·O2−, h+ and ·OH are the active species for the degradation of RhB in the photocatalytic system. Therefore, this work provides a feasible strategy to design a photocatalytic reactor coupling with nanobubbles technology for the photodegradation of organic pollutants in wastewater.

Redox Inversion: A Radical Analogue of Umpolung Reactivity for Base- and Metal-Free Catalytic C(sp3)-C(sp3) Coupling.

The construction of alkyl-alkyl bonds is a powerful tool in organic synthesis. Redox inversion, defined as switching the donor/acceptor profile of a functional group to its acceptor/donor profile, is used for C(sp3)-C(sp3) coupling. We report a photocatalytic coupling of carboxylic acids to form bibenzyls through a radical-radical coupling. Mechanistic insight is gained through control reactions. This unexplored redox-opposite relationship between a carboxylic acid and its redox-active ester is implemented in catalysis.

A highly energy-efficient magnetoelectric–photocatalytic coupling for water remediation

Contaminated water is one of the main infection routes for serious diseases, and water remediation of different environmental contaminations is an urge today. Here, we introduce a novel high-μ ribbon FeBSi–ZnO magnetoelectric (ME) nanocomposite that exhibits a magnetoelectric–photocatalytic (MEPC) coupling effect, which further enhances electrochemical activity for water remediation. Compared to the previously reported ultrasonic piezoelectric-photocatalytic technique, the proposed MEPC coupling system is 100–1200 times more energy-efficient. This energy-efficient catalysis can be attributed to the effective charge energy shifting generated by the low-power MEPC coupling system, which promotes the surface redox reaction via transferred electrons and holes and generation of the reactive oxygen species of •O−2 and •OH. It is also found that the kinetic rate of organic pollutant degradation under MEPC activity is approximately three times faster than that of a pure PC process. The degradation efficiency for indigo carmine (IC), methyl orange (MO), and rhodamine B (RB) organic pollutants is 98% (less than 60 min), 97%, and 92% within 120 min, respectively. Also, MEPC activity could conduct 99.9% reduction of E. coli bacteria within 30 min. This study, therefore, provides an original MEPC system and an effective strategy for the sustainable environmental remediation endowed with an energy-efficient and low-cost nature owing to the multiphysical field synergetic effect.

Constructing a Photocatalyst for Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol to Benzaldehyde by Photo-Fenton-like Catalysis.

A photoactive metal-organic framework (MOF), [K(H2O)][Cu(DPNDI)][Cu(DPNDI)(CH3CN)(H2O)] [Cu1.5(DPNDI)1.5H1.5P2W18O62]·2H2O (Cu(Ι)W-DPNDI), was prepared by combining a functional photosensitizer N, N'-bis(4-pyridylmethyl)naphthalene diimide (DPNDI), copper(I) ions, and an oxidation catalyst [P2W18O62]6- into a single framework via a hydrothermal process. Cu(Ι)W-DPNDI exhibited a stable structure, strong light absorption capacity, a suitable band gap, and photoelectric properties, which provided favorable conditions for photocatalysis. In the confined space, the well-aligned Cu(I) ions and POM polyanions played a synergetic effect in the electron-transfer process and reactive oxygen species generation. By coupling photocatalysis and heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysis, Cu(Ι)W-DPNDI displayed high efficiency for the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols, with up to >99% selectivity and 75% yield.

Enhanced antibiotic wastewater degradation by intimately coupled B-Bi3O4Cl photocatalysis and biodegradation reactor: Elucidating degradation principle systematically.

Intimately coupled photocatalysis and biodegradation (ICPB) is an emerging technology that has potential applications in the degradation of bio-recalcitrant pollutants. However, the interaction principles between photocatalysts and biofilms in ICPB have not been well developed. This article covers a cooperative degradation scheme coupling photocatalysis and biodegradation for efficient degradation and mineralization of ciprofloxacin (CIP) using ICPB with B-doped Bi3O4Cl as the photocatalyst. In consequence, a removal rate of ∼95 % is reached after 40 d. The biofilms inside the ICPB carriers can mineralize the photocatalytic products, thus improving the removal rate of total organic carbon (TOC) by more than 20 %. Interior biofilms are not destroyed by CIP or photocatalysis, and they adapt to ICPB of CIP by enriching in Pseudoxanthomonas, Ferruginibacter, Clostridium, Stenotrophomonas and Comamonas and reconstructing their microbial communities using energy produced by the light-excited photoelectrons. Furthermore, this research gives new opinion into the degradation principles of the ICPB system.