Regulating Electron-Hole Separation to Promote the Photocatalytic Property of BiOBr_1−xI_x/BiOBr Local Distorted Hierarchical Microspheres

In this work, hierarchical BiOBr1−xIx/BiOBr heterojunction photocatalyst with a microsphere morphology was synthesized by a facile solvothermal process. It demonstrated that the local structure of the photocatalysts was highly distorted due to the substitution of bromide ions by iodine ions. The photocatalytic properties were evaluated by the photodecomposition of aqueous phenol solution under visible-light irradiation. The results indicated that all the composite photocatalysts exhibited high photocatalytic activity. In particularly, the BiOBr1−xIx/BiOBr (x = 0.25) sample exhibited over 92% degradation efficiency of phenol within 150 min, which is 24.6 and 3.08 fold enhancement in the photocatalytic activity over the pure phased BiOBr and BiOI, respectively. Moreover, this excellent photocatalytic property can be expanded to other colorless organic contaminants, verifying the common applicability of BiOBr1−xIx/BiOBr (x = 0.25) as an excellent visible-light photocatalyst for organics decomposition. The significant improvement in the photocatalytic activity can be explained by the high efficiency of charge separation due to the enhancement in the internal electric fields and band match that comes from the local structure distortion. This work provides valuable information for the design of highly active photocatalysts toward the environmental remediation.

Antimicrobial Rubber Nanocapsule-Based Iodophor Promotes Wound Healing

Povidone–iodine has been leading the market of clinical disinfectants worldwide since the last century but has turned a blind eye to its cytotoxic effect on the cells of the human tissue.In this study,a commercial povidone–iodine,though considered an excellent antibacterial agent,was found to have a negative influence on mammal cell growth and wound healing in preclinical trials.At the early stage of wound treatment,it even severely deteriorated the wound and enlarged the wound area.However,our newly formulated iodophors,based on rubber nanoparticles,were able to discriminate between human and bacterial cells by inhibiting the cytotoxicity damage caused by iodine to mammalian tissue and vigorously,killed the bacterial cells,thereby,presenting as superior performers of wound care,compared with povidone–iodine.Wetook advantage of a redox combination of an emulsion complex loaded with iodine to solidify a trans-polyisoprene rubber into nanocapsules.Specifically,our fabricated class of rubber nanocapsules proved to be capable of promoting remarkable cell proliferation and wound recovery,thereby,serving as a promising candidate for biocompatible and healing-favored wound disinfection agents in place of povidone–iodine.