Advanced removal of C. famata in bioaerosols by simultaneous adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation of Cu-doped TiO(2)/PU under visible irradiation

Polyurethane (PU), a honeycomb structure material, was used as a substrate onto which TiO(2) and Cu–TiO(2) were deposited in order to integrate the adsorption property to the photocatalysts. TiO(2) deposited on PU (TiO(2)/PU) and Cu-doped TiO(2) deposited on PU (Cu–TiO(2)/PU) were synthesized and applied to the removal of Candida famata (C. famata), a frequently encountered airborne yeast. The removal capacities of C. famata by PU, TiO(2)/PU and Cu–TiO(2)/PU were 1.5 × 10(5), 3.2 × 10(5) and 6.9 × 10(5) (CFU/cm(3)) under dark condition and 1.5 × 10(5), 3.3 × 10(5) and 1.8 × 10(6) (CFU/cm(3)) under visible light irradiation, respectively. PU and TiO(2)/PU seemed to exhibit only an adsorption ability for removing C. famata in aerosols under both dark and visible light. The C. famata removal capacity of Cu–TiO(2)/PU under visible light was increased 2.6-fold compared to that under dark condition. This significant increase was attributed to the Cu dopant, which enhanced the electron–hole separation efficiency and capacity of TiO(2), resulting in the high photocatalytic activity of Cu–TiO(2)/PU under visible light.