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Novel Semiconductor Cu(C<inf>3</inf>H<inf>3</inf>N<inf>3</inf>S<inf>3</inf>)<inf>3</inf>/ZnTiO<inf>3</inf>/TiO<inf>2</inf> for the Photoinactivation of E. coli and S. aureus under Solar Light

Abstract:

The use of semiconductors for bacterial photoinactivation is a promising approach that has attracted great interest in wastewater remediation. The photoinactivator Cu-TTC/ZTO/TO was synthesized by the solvothermal method from the coordination complex Cu(C3H3N3S3)3 (Cu-TTC) and the hybrid semiconductor ZnTiO3/TiO2 (ZTO/TO). In this study, the effect of photocatalyst composition/concentration as well as radiation intensity on the photoinactivation of the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus in aqueous solutions was investigated. The results revealed that 25 mg/mL of photoinactivator, in a Cu-TTC:ZTO/TO molar ratio of 1:2 (w/w%) presents a higher rate of bacterial photoinactivation under simulated solar light (λ = 300–800 nm) in comparison to the individual components. The evidence of this study suggests that the presence of the Cu(C3H3N3S3)3 coordination complex in the ZnTiO3/TiO2 hybrid semiconductor would contribute to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are essential to initiate the bacterial photoinactivation process. Finally, the results obtained allow us to pbkp_redict that the Cu-TTC/ZTO/TO photocatalyst could be used for effective bacterial inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus in aqueous systems under simulated solar light.