A Robust Pyro-phototronic Route to Markedly Enhanced Photocatalytic Disinfection

作者：Baoying Dai, Chenchen Gao, Jiahao Guo, Meng Ding, Qinglin Xu, Shaoxiong He, Yongbin Mou, Heng Dong, Mingao Hu, Zhuo Dai, Yu Zhang, Yannan Xie, Zhiqun Lin · 发表于：Nano Letters · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c05098 · 被引用次数：26 · 研究领域：Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、Dental Research and COVID-19、Inhalation and Respiratory Drug Delivery

Photocatalysis offers a direct, yet robust, approach to eradicate pathogenic bacteria. However, the practical implementation of photocatalytic disinfection faces a significant challenge due to low-efficiency photogenerated carrier separation and transfer. Here, we present an effective approach to improve photocatalytic disinfection performance by exploiting the pyro-phototronic effect through a synergistic combination of pyroelectric properties and photocatalytic processes. A set of comprehensive studies reveals that the temperature fluctuation-induced pyroelectric field promotes photoexcited carrier separation and transfer and thus facilitates the generation of reactive oxygen species and ultimately enhances photocatalytic disinfection performance. It is worth highlighting that the constructed film demonstrated an exceptional antibacterial efficiency exceeding 95% against pathogenic bacteria under temperature fluctuations and light irradiation. Moreover, the versatile modulation role of the pyro-phototronic effect in boosting photocatalytic disinfection was corroborated. This work paves the way for improving photocatalytic disinfection efficiency by harnessing the synergistic potential of various inherent material properties.