Visible-Light-Induced Rapid Elimination of Antibiotic Resistance Contaminations Using Graphitic Carbon Nitride Tailored with Carrier Confinement Domains.

Abstract

Solar water disinfection facilitated by photocatalyst has been considered a viable point-of-use (POU) method for mitigating antibiotic resistance contaminations at the household or community levels. Here, density functional theory calculations are used to guide the fabrication of a carrier confinement domains (CCD)-decorated graphitic carbon nitride (CN) photocatalyst. The CCD integration effectively disrupts the electron distribution symmetry of CN, amplifies its local electron density, and facilitates the formation of a long-range ordered structure, thereby enhancing charge separation efficiency. Importantly, the CCD directs the migration of photogenerated carriers to specific regions upon light illumination, effectively minimizing their spatial proximity. As a result, the overall reactive oxygen species level of the photocatalytic system is markedly elevated, with a twelvefold increase in H₂O₂ concentration, alongside a significant rise in •O₂ ^- and •OH steady-state concentrations. Remarkably, a record-high disinfection efficiency is attained, successfully inactivating 7 log of antibiotic-resistant bacteria within 30 min. Additionally, the photocatalyst can be integrated into a continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor, facilitating clean water production for up to 60 h at a rate of 121 L m^-2 day^-1, highlighting its significant potential for POU applications.