Lysozyme-assisted ultrasonic exfoliation of graphitic carbon nitride into highly stable nanosheets with enhanced bactericidal capacity

• Published in: 2d materials Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 45034 - 45048
• Main Authors: Chen, Liang-Liang, Shi, Wen-Pu, Zhang, Tuo-Di, Zhou, Ren-Bin, Jin, Xiao-Qian, Zhou, Ya-Qing, Lin, Wen-Juan, Guo, Wei-Hong, Yin, Da-Chuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 01.10.2022
• Subjects: bactericidal activity; dispersion; graphitic carbon nitride; lysozyme
• ISSN: 2053-1583; 2053-1583
• DOI: 10.1088/2053-1583/ac9489

Abstract Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is a visible light-responsive photocatalytic material with important application prospects in many fields. However, the interaction between g-C 3 N 4 monolayers makes it easy to aggregate and precipitate in aqueous solutions, and it is necessary to prepare stable g-C 3 N 4 aqueous dispersions for their applications. Here we propose a facile, green, and low-cost method for the preparation of stable g-C 3 N 4 dispersions by ultrasonicating g-C 3 N 4 in lysozyme (LYZ) solution. The LYZ was adsorbed on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 through non-covalent interactions such as electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding and π-cation interaction to prevent the aggregation of g-C 3 N 4 nanolayers. The LYZ/g-C 3 N 4 could quickly re-form a uniform aqueous dispersion solution after freeze-drying, and exhibit good stability. Further, the results of photocatalytic sterilization showed that the assisted dispersion of LYZ enhanced the bactericidal activity of g-C 3 N 4 and exhibited promising application prospects in the field of biomedicine and water disinfection.