Antibacterial Performance of Copper‐loaded Mesoporous C 3 N 6

ABSTRACT Copper‐loaded mesoporous nitrogen‐rich carbon nitride (xCu‐mC 3 N 6 ) was synthesized using a mesoporous silica SBA‐15 hard template. While low‐angle XRD data and transmission electron microscopic images confirm the periodic hexagonal porous texture of the synthesized material, the nitrogen adsorption‐desorption isotherms revealed high specific surface areas with an average pore diameter of ∼4.9 nm. CHN analysis established the formation of C 3 N 6, and near‐edge X‐ray absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) measurements confirmed N─C═N in the C 3 N 6 framework. The copper‐based nanoparticles are anchored onto the CN framework within the mesochannels of C 3 N 6 . The inhibition zones revealed that Cu‐mC 3 N 6 exhibited a stronger antibacterial effect compared to mC 3 N 6, and interestingly. Gram‐positive Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ) performs better than gram‐negative Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) bacteria. Further, the colony‐counting method quantitatively confirmed the superior antibacterial performance of xCu‐mC 3 N 6 , compared to mC 3 N 6 . Cu‐mC 3 N 6 also achieved an 87% increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in B. subtilis and 71% for E. coli‐treated cells, implying ROS‐mediated cell death in Cu‐mC 3 N 6 , while mC 3 N 6 exhibited a lower level of ROS owing to weak electrostatic interactions with bacteria, resulting in lower antibacterial effects. The present study provides insight into the synthesis of nitrogen‐rich nanocomposites for disinfection.