Carbon nitride based photocatalysts for solar photocatalytic disinfection, can we go further?

Abstract Microbial contamination in wastewater systems is a global problem and has attracted more and more attention. Therefore, a high-performance and environmentally friendly inactivation method is in great demand. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) exhibits lots of prominent properties such as appealing physicochemical stability, unique two-dimensional structure and tunable electronic structure. Unsatisfactorily, the pristine g-C3N4 also faces the shortcomings arising from the limited visible light response and few active sites. Hence, a comprehensive review (“can we go further?”) about modified g-C3N4 photocatalysts for solar photocatalytic disinfection is necessary, which provides some inspiration for further optimization of the g-C3N4-based photocatalytic disinfection system. Meanwhile, the performance of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts for photocatalytic bacterial disinfection and the involved mechanisms are reviewed. In addition, the current prospects and possible challenges are pointed out. This review aims to summarize recent studies of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts in environmental disinfection and open a bright window to this booming research theme.