Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection
Abstract Photocatalytic water disinfection technology is highly promising in off-grid areas due to abundant year-round solar irradiance. However, the practical use of powdered photocatalysts is impeded by limited recovery and inefficient inactivation of stress-resistant bacteria in oligotrophic surf...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56339-2 |
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| author | Jian Wang Jiahe Zhang Yang Li Xinghui Xia Hengjing Yang Jae-Hong Kim Wen Zhang |
| author_facet | Jian Wang Jiahe Zhang Yang Li Xinghui Xia Hengjing Yang Jae-Hong Kim Wen Zhang |
| author_sort | Jian Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Photocatalytic water disinfection technology is highly promising in off-grid areas due to abundant year-round solar irradiance. However, the practical use of powdered photocatalysts is impeded by limited recovery and inefficient inactivation of stress-resistant bacteria in oligotrophic surface water. Here we prepare a floatable monolithic photocatalyst with ZIF-8-NH2 loaded Ag single atoms and nanoparticles (AgSA+NP/ZIF). Atomically dispersed Ag sites form an Ag−N charge bridge, extending the lifetime of charge carriers and thereby promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The photothermal effect of the plasmonic Ag nanoparticles reduces the bacterial resistance to ROS and impairs DNA repair capabilities. Under sunlight irradiation, the synergistic effect of Ag single atoms and nanoparticles enables 4.0 cm2 AgSA+NP/ZIF to achieve over 6.0 log inactivation (99.9999%) for the stress-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in oligotrophic surface water within 30 min. Furthermore, 36 cm2 AgSA+NP/ZIF is capable of disinfecting at least 10.0 L of surface water, which meets the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily per capita drinking water allocation (8.0 L). This study presents a decentralized and sustainable approach for water disinfection in off-grid areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c12b5fc550c645f4aba3d53dabd37828 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-c12b5fc550c645f4aba3d53dabd378282025-01-26T12:42:51ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-56339-2Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfectionJian Wang0Jiahe Zhang1Yang Li2Xinghui Xia3Hengjing Yang4Jae-Hong Kim5Wen Zhang6Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education & State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal UniversityDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of TechnologyKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education & State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education & State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education & State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale UniversityDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of TechnologyAbstract Photocatalytic water disinfection technology is highly promising in off-grid areas due to abundant year-round solar irradiance. However, the practical use of powdered photocatalysts is impeded by limited recovery and inefficient inactivation of stress-resistant bacteria in oligotrophic surface water. Here we prepare a floatable monolithic photocatalyst with ZIF-8-NH2 loaded Ag single atoms and nanoparticles (AgSA+NP/ZIF). Atomically dispersed Ag sites form an Ag−N charge bridge, extending the lifetime of charge carriers and thereby promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The photothermal effect of the plasmonic Ag nanoparticles reduces the bacterial resistance to ROS and impairs DNA repair capabilities. Under sunlight irradiation, the synergistic effect of Ag single atoms and nanoparticles enables 4.0 cm2 AgSA+NP/ZIF to achieve over 6.0 log inactivation (99.9999%) for the stress-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in oligotrophic surface water within 30 min. Furthermore, 36 cm2 AgSA+NP/ZIF is capable of disinfecting at least 10.0 L of surface water, which meets the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily per capita drinking water allocation (8.0 L). This study presents a decentralized and sustainable approach for water disinfection in off-grid areas.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56339-2 |
| spellingShingle | Jian Wang Jiahe Zhang Yang Li Xinghui Xia Hengjing Yang Jae-Hong Kim Wen Zhang Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection Nature Communications |
| title | Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| title_full | Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| title_fullStr | Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| title_short | Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| title_sort | silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56339-2 |
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