Rapid Sterilization by Photocatalytic Ag₃PO₄/α-Fe₂O₃ Composites Using Visible Light

Ag3PO4/α-Fe2O3 composites were synthesized by a solvothermal method and a stepwise electrostatic adsorption method. Under visible light irradiation, the acceleration of charge transfer in Ag3PO4/α-Fe2O3 inhibits the recombination of photogenerated charges, thereby ameliorating the photocatalytic properties of Ag3PO4 and α-Fe2O3 and promoting the yields of radical oxygen species. Ag3PO4/α-Fe2O3 can be used for effective sterilization, and the antibacterial efficiency reaches up to 99.51 and 99.91% for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively, within 15 min visible light irradiation. This work brings new insights into the rapid disinfection of environments with pathogenic microorganisms using α-Fe2O3-based photocatalyst materials.