Construction of Recycling Photocatalytic Gels for the Disinfection of Pathogens and Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) nanosheets are exciting photocatalysts for microbial disinfection and organic dye degradation. However, it remains a great challenge to easily recycle these nanomaterials and improve their photocatalytic ability. Herein, we constructed a novel photocatalytic BiOBr@PAG gel containing BiOBr nanosheets and polyacrylamide gel (PAG), based on peroxydisulfate-induced polymerization reaction. The photocatalytic gel had equally distribution of BiOBr nanosheets on the surface, and could be easily recycled from water. More strikingly, the gel could also rapidly kill all tested pathogenic bacteria (i. e., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus) under irradiation. Its disinfection activity is attributed to remarkable intracellular ROS production and oxidative cell damage. Furthermore, the gel had higher photocatalytic activity than BiOBr nanosheets alone during degradation of organic dyes. This study developed a novel strategy for preparation of easy-recycling and high-efficiency photocatalytic systems for practical application in environmental treatment and medicinal disinfection.