Estimation of the Integral Toxicity of Photocatalysts Based on Graphitic Carbon Nitride in a Luminescent Test

Abstract

—A ternary heterosystem consisting of crystalline graphitic carbon nitride, zinc oxide, and zinc sulfide (g-C3N4/ZnO/ZnS) was obtained by the one-stage decomposition of a mixture of thiourea and zinc acetate. The integral toxicity index of the resulting material was estimated in a luminescent test with a genetically modified Escherichia coli strain as a test object. The effect of quenching the luminescence of E. coli was noted both under exposure to UV radiation due to photocatalytic reactions on the surface of g-C3N4/ZnO/ZnS leading to the formation of highly oxidative radical ions interacting with cell membranes and without irradiation due to mechanical interactions with bacterial cells. At a 0.3 g/L concentration of g-C3N4/ZnO/ZnS in aqueous solution, the toxicity index T reached 75.6% under UV irradiation. In this case, an increase in the toxicity index T of the ternary heterosystem in a test concentration range from 0.1 to 0.3 g/L was 6 or 10–11% under UV radiation or without illumination, respectively, as compared with that of the pure graphite-like carbon nitride obtained under identical conditions.