An efficient visible light photocatalyst based on tin porphyrin intercalated between TiO2–graphene nanosheets for inactivation of E. coli and investigation of charge transfer mechanism

Abstract

Among the very few efforts for the preparation of stable pillared graphene nanostructures, there is no report of tin porphyrin intercalated between TiO₂–graphene (TG) nanosheets. Photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria mediated by TiO₂–graphene nanocomposites has been known as a green route, which has the potential to replace current antibiotic technology. In this work we intercalated a tin complex of tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (SnTCPP·Cl₂) between TiO₂–graphene nanosheets (TGSP) with 3% graphene content (TG (3%)). All materials were thoroughly characterized by Raman, XRD, DRS, BET, and SEM analysis. Subsequently, photoelectrochemical investigation determined the photoactivity of the prepared TGSP and the mechanism of the charge transfer in this compound. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the incorporation of SnTCPP between the TG nanosheets could successfully develop a new type of photocatalysis system. This photocatalyst is effective for the efficient photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria under visible light illumination.