Efficient Photocatalytic Bilirubin Removal over the Biocompatible Core/Shell P25/g-C(3)N(4) Heterojunctions with Metal-free Exposed Surfaces under Moderate Green Light Irradiation

Highly-monodispersed g-C(3)N(4)/TiO(2) hybrids with a core/shell structure were synthesized from a simple room temperature impregnation method, in which g-C(3)N(4) was coated through self-assembly on the commercially available Degussa P25 TiO(2) nanoparticles. Structural and surface characterizations showed that the presence of g-C(3)N(4) notably affected the light absorption characteristics of TiO(2). The g-C(3)N(4)/TiO(2) heterojunctions with metal-free exposed surfaces were directly used as biocompatible photocatalysts for simulated jaundice phototherapy under low-power green-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity and stability of g-C(3)N(4)/TiO(2) were enhanced relative to pure P25 or g-C(3)N(4), which could be ascribed to the effective Z-scheme separation of photo-induced charge carriers in g-C(3)N(4)/TiO(2) heterojunction. The photoactivity was maximized in the 4 wt.% g-C(3)N(4)-coated P25, as the bilirubin removal rate under green light irradiation was more than 5-fold higher than that under the clinically-used blue light without any photocatalyst. This study approves the future applications of the photocatalyst-assisted bilirubin removal in jaundice treatment under moderate green light which is more tolerable by humans.