1,4,5,8-Naphthalene tetracarboxylate dianhydride/g-CN van der Waals heterojunctions exhibit enhanced photochemical HO production and antimicrobial activity.

Organic semiconductors, including graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN, CN), represent an important class of materials for the development of novel antimicrobial or biomedical technologies. Of principal interest is the ability of these materials to catalyze the reduction of elemental oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), including hydrogen peroxide (HO). Here, we describe the fabrication of photoactive van der Waals heterojunctions incorporating 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) and CN.