Dual-channel charges transfer strategy with synergistic effect of Z-scheme heterojunction and LSPR effect for enhanced quasi-full-spectrum photocatalytic bacterial inactivation: new insight into interfacial charge transfer and molecular oxygen activation

• Novel Z-scheme CdIn 2 S 4 /W 18 O 49 heterojunction with dual-channel charges transfer path was fabricated. • The prepared catalysts exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency under both full-spectrum and NIR light irradiation. • CdIn 2 S 4 /W 18 O 49 photocatalysts exhibited higher molecular oxygen activation activity compared with CdIn 2 S 4 and W 18 O 49 . • h + , O 2 − and OH played the dominant role in the photocatalytic reaction system. • The enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the synergistic effect of Z-scheme heterojunction and LSPR effect. To achieve high efficiency photochemical energy conversion, the most challenging task is to seek a full-spectrum-driven photocatalyst with superior charge separation efficiency from UV to NIR region. Herein, we reported a full-spectrum-driven CdIn 2 S 4 /W 18 O 49 photocatalyst with dual-channel charge-carriers transfer path. The experimental results indicate that the synergistic effect of Z-scheme heterojunction and LSPR effect markedly improves interfacial charge transfer efficiency and light-harvesting capacity of CdIn 2 S 4 /W 18 O 49 composites. It can effectively activate molecular oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for superior photocatalytic E. coli inactivation and tetracycline (TC) degradation. The enhanced molecular oxygen activation capacity was confirmed by nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and p-phthalic acid (TA) transformation experiments. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations and scavenger experiments, a possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was proposed. This work provides a strategy for fabricating full-spectrum-driven photocatalyst with excellent photocatalytic activity, which furnishes a new insight for interface charge transfer and molecular oxygen activation.