Visible spectrum

Composite number

Carbon fibers

Composite material

Catalysis

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Chemistry

Materials science

Nitride

Carbon nitride

Graphitic carbon nitride

Layer (electronics)

Optoelectronics

Photocatalysis

Photochemistry

Heterojunction

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Constructing heterojunctions between two semiconductors with matched band structure is an effective strategy to acquire high-efficiency photocatalysts. The S-scheme heterojunction system has shown great potential in facilitating separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers, as well as acquiring strong photoredox ability. Herein, a 0D/2D S-Scheme heterojunction material involving CeO2 quantum dots and polymeric carbon nitride (CeO2 /PCN) is designed and constructed by in situ wet chemistry with subsequent heat treatment. This S-scheme heterojunction material shows high-efficiency photocatalytic sterilization rate (88.1 %) towards Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) under visible-light irradiation (λ≥420 nm), which is 2.7 and 8.2 times that of pure CeO2 (32.2 %) and PCN (10.7 %), respectively. Strong evidence of S-scheme charge transfer path is verified by theoretical calculations, in situ irradiated X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance.

Designing a 0D/2D S‐Scheme Heterojunction over Polymeric Carbon Nitride for Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Inactivation of Bacteria