Visible-light-induced oxidation of gaseous and aqueous contaminants by organic sensitizers and metal-oxide semiconductors

[Nanoscale Material-based AOP]

[Nanoscale Material Synthesis]

[Mechanistic Study]

Our group has taken interest in developing the visible-light-responsive systems for the oxidative treatment of organic pollutants in the gaseous and aqueous phases. Fullerene and porphyrin derivatives as metal-free photosensitizers were demonstrated to enable the high-yield production of singlet oxygen under visible light irradiation, thus achieving the oxidative decomposition of aquatic emerging contaminants (e.g., pharmaceuticals and algal toxins) and remote bacterial and viral disinfection. Along with surface-modified metal-oxide semiconductors (e.g., platinized TiO₂ and oxygen-vacant WO_3-X), silver- and bismuth-based materials with visible-light-responsivity are currently explored for heterogenous photocatalytic oxidation and microbial inactivation.