Cu doped TiO2/GF for photocatalytic disinfection of Escherichia coli in bioaerosols under visible light irradiation: Application and mechanism

Abstract This study investigated the role of Cu as a doping agent to enhance photocatalytic activity of TiO2 in Cu-doped TiO2/glass fibers (Cu-TiO2/GF) used for disinfection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in aerosols under visible light irradiation. Glass fiber was used as a substrate to immobilize TiO2 for disinfection of E. coli in bioaerosols. Cu in the prepared photocatalyst acted as an intermediate agent for the transfer of photo-generated electrons from the valence band to the conduction band of TiO2. Cu dopants increased the electron-hole pair separation efficiency, inhibited their recombination leading to a lifetime increase of the generated electrons, and thus improved photocatalytic activity even under visible light irradiation. Cu also defected the TiO2 lattice by producing Ti3+ ions, which can increase the electron-hole separation capacity of the photocatalyst, thereby increasing photocatalytic capacity. The optimal Cu content in Cu/TiO2 to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was 5 wt.%. Among three humidity conditions (dry (40 ± 5%), moderate (60 ± 5%) and humid (80 ± 5%)), the moderate condition showed the highest disinfection efficiency of E. coli. When the 5% Cu-TiO2/GF was used under a moderate level of humidity, the highest disinfection efficiency and disinfection capacity of E. coli were identified as 87.8% and 23 CFU/s cm2, respectively.