Hybrid CuO/TiO Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Antibacterial Activity toward .

The hybrid CuO-TiO photocatalytic composite with a p-n heterojunction was synthesized by the supercritical solvothermal route. The uniformly distributed CuO was stably combined with TiO to benefit the increase of the specific surface area, the harvesting of visible light, and the separation of photogenerated holes and electrons. As a result, photocatalytic inactivation of under visible-light irradiation was facilitated. Based on the photogenerated holes acting as the main active species, the CuO-TiO photocatalytic heterojunction could induce the leakage of K ions and serious damage of the cell structure, leading to the final cell death. During the photoantibacterial process on CuO-TiO, the RecA gene played a significant role in enhancing the survival rate of . Furthermore, the great bactericidal effect of CuO-TiO nanocomposites to different bacteria indicated the potential application for the environment-friendly disinfection.