Facile Preparation of the ZnSe/Ag₂Se Binary Heterojunction for Photocatalytic Antibacterial Efficiency

In a novel approach that capitalized on the differential solubility product (K_sp) of ZnSe and Ag₂Se, a unique ZnSe/Ag₂Se binary heterostructure was efficiently synthesized in situ. ZnSe/Ag₂Se exhibited excellent antimicrobial efficiency under visible light. Incorporating Ag₂Se into ZnSe significantly enhanced the photoelectric performance of the catalyst, greatly accelerating the separation of the photogenerated electrons in the system. Active species removal experiments determined that ·O₂^- and H₂O₂ played crucial roles in photocatalytic antibacterial efficiency. Further investigation into the levels of cellular membrane peroxidation, bacterial morphology, and intracellular contents concentration revealed that during the photocatalytic antimicrobial process, reactive oxygen species initially oxidize phospholipids in the cell membrane, leading to damage to the external structure of the cell and leakage of the intracellular contents, ultimately resulting in bacteria inactivation. The photocatalytic antimicrobial process of ZnSe/Ag₂Se fundamentally deviates from conventional methods, offering new insights into efficient disinfection and photocatalytic antimicrobial mechanisms.