Phosphorus and sulfur codoped carbon nitride nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic antibacterial activity and promotion of wound healing

In this study, we report a novel photocatalytic antibacterial agent, i.e., phosphorus and sulfur codoped carbon nitride (PSCN) nanosheets, which was synthesized by a simple two-step template-free method that enhances the photocatalytic efficiency and antibacterial ability of antibacterial agents in terms of healing wound infections. By innovatively introducing the dopants of adenosine triphosphate and thiourea, P, S successfully doped into the well-preserved heptazine units of g-C3N4, P covalently bonded with N, and S existed as S2- and sulfur oxides (SOx) with relatively weak peak. In particular, under visible light irradiation, PSCN tended to generate more reactive oxygen species (mainly h+ and •O2−) owing to its enhanced photocatalytic ability. PSCN in turn manifested superior antibacterial performance compared with g-C3N4. 99.2% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were killed on exposure to a 300 W Xenon lamp for 2.5 h cocultivation with PSCN, and 97.0% Escherichia coli (E. coli) were dead for 2 h, while the biocompatibility of PSCN is guaranteed. Moreover, a 7-day treatment effect could be observed in an S. aureus-infected wound model established in rabbits. Briefly, PSCN might blaze new trails in bacterial infection treatments owing to its significant antibacterial and wound-healing properties.