Molecule self-assembly of hydrangea-shaped hollow O, Cl -codoped graphite-phase carbon nitride microspheres for efficient N-(1,3-dimethyl butyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine quinone photodegradation and bacteria disinfection

Xiangyu Chen; Jianhao Wu; Xiaozhuo Wang; Rongrong Jia; Lan Li; Yixuan Wang; Yuxing Cai; Zhi Chen; Cheng-Chao Jin; Xinquan Wang; Peipei Qi; Rongyan Wang; Nan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2025.01.003

Molecule self-assembly of hydrangea-shaped hollow O, Cl -codoped graphite-phase carbon nitride microspheres for efficient N-(1,3-dimethyl butyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine quinone photodegradation and bacteria disinfection

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Jan 3;683(Pt 2):1049-1056. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.01.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiangyu Chen¹, Jianhao Wu¹, Xiaozhuo Wang¹, Rongrong Jia¹, Lan Li¹, Yixuan Wang¹, Yuxing Cai¹, Zhi Chen², Cheng-Chao Jin³, Xinquan Wang⁴, Peipei Qi⁵, Rongyan Wang⁶, Nan Zhang⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Materials and Chemistry, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education Zone, Hangzhou 310018, China.
² College of Materials and Chemistry, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education Zone, Hangzhou 310018, China. Electronic address: zchen@cjlu.edu.cn.
³ College of Materials and Chemistry, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education Zone, Hangzhou 310018, China. Electronic address: ccjin_cn@163.com.
⁴ State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China. Electronic address: qipeipei@zaas.ac.cn.
⁶ Institution Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Ding-xi Road, Shanghai 200050, China.
⁷ College of Materials and Chemistry, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education Zone, Hangzhou 310018, China. Electronic address: nanzhang@cjlu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39764988
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.01.003

Abstract

6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q) as a derivative of the rubber antioxidant N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), is attracting intensive attention due to the significant hazard to ecosystems. However, the effective management of this type of contaminant has been scarcely reported. Hydrangea-like hollow O, Cl-codoped graphite-phase carbon nitride microspheres (HHCN), featuring open pores were readily prepared by molecular self-assembly and utilized to address 6PPD-Q in an aqueous system for the first time. More than 90 % of 6PPD-Q is efficiently photodegraded within 1 h on the as-prepared HHCN, which is 2.5 times more than that on bulk g-C₃N₄. Moreover, the as-synthesized HHCN demonstrates prominent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of doxycycline and tetracycline and the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in an aqueous environment. The distinct hydrangea-like hollow structure imparts a large surface area and an abundance of active sites. In addition, the inclusion of Cl-3p orbitals also contributes to a reduction in the bandgap (2.01 eV) and facilitates carrier separation and transport. These combined characteristics synergistically enhance the remarkable photocatalytic performance of HHCN, which induces a more than 2 times higher degradation rate than bulk g-C₃N₄. This work offers a prospective route for template-free designing porous functional materials with improved properties and efficiently treating emerging pollutants such as 6PPD-Q, pathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic residues.

Keywords: 6PPD-Q photodegradation; Bacteria disinfection; Molecule self-assembly; Open porous carbon nitride microspheres; Treatment of antibiotic residues.