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Cellular-level insight into biointerface: From surface charge modulation to boosted photocatalytic oxidative
Zan Zhu1, Liang Bao2, Dmitry Pestov3
1Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA.
Chemical Engineering Journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996)
|April 28, 2025
Summary
Surface modification of photocatalysts with a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) polymer enhances bacterial adhesion and photocatalytic oxidative disinfection (POD) efficiency against pathogenic bacteria.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Photocatalytic oxidative disinfection (POD) offers eco-friendly antimicrobial solutions but is limited by rapid electron-hole recombination and poor bacterial-photocatalyst interactions.
- Short diffusion distances of reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduce their efficacy before reaching bacterial cells, hindering disinfection.
- Understanding biointerface phenomena is crucial for improving POD performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a surface-modulated photocatalyst for enhanced antibacterial activity.
- To investigate the role of electrostatic interactions in improving bacteria-photocatalyst contact.
- To elucidate the mechanism behind enhanced photocatalytic disinfection.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a novel g-C3N4/MIL-125-NH2 photocatalyst coated with a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) polymer, denoted as QAC@g-C3N4/MIL-125-NH2.
- Utilized confocal laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy to visualize and quantify electrostatic interactions.
- Evaluated photocatalytic oxidative disinfection performance against Staphylococcus epidermidis under visible light.
Main Results:
- The positively charged QAC layer significantly enhanced the affinity between bacterial cells and the photocatalyst through electrostatic attraction.
- Improved bacteria-photocatalyst contact led to cooperative effects of cell adhesion and ROS generation.
- Achieved a 3.20 log inactivation efficiency for Staphylococcus epidermidis within 60 minutes.
Conclusions:
- Surface charge modulation of photocatalysts is an effective strategy to improve antibacterial efficacy.
- The developed QAC@g-C3N4/MIL-125-NH2 shows promising potential for water disinfection applications.
- This study provides mechanistic insights into biointerface interactions for rational photocatalyst design.
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