Enhanced photocatalytic activity and antibacterial potential of a novel ternary ZnO-Ag2MoO4-AgI heterojunction photocatalyst

Abstract

The construction of heterojunctions is a recognized strategy for enhancing photogenerated carrier separation. This research introduces a novel ZnO-Ag2MoO4-AgI photocatalyst with a double Z-type heterojunction, made using a straightforward precipitation technique. The precise position of energy levels endowed the ternary photocatalyst with the ability of directional electron flow, while the Z-type structure exhibits strong redox capabilities and facilitates the effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers. The structural characteristics, the photocatalytic activities, the antibacterial properties, and the cytotoxicity of the catalysts were evaluated. The results demonstrate that the catalytic ability of ternary composites work synergistically, surpassing the individual and binary photocatalysts. Notably, the ternary composites with 30 % AgI content exhibit the highest catalytic activity, achieving complete degradation of Rhodamine B in 30 minutes, and up to 71.2 % degradation of Norfloxacin in 60 minutes. Furthermore, more than 99.998 % of Staphylococcus aureus, and 100 % of Escherichia coli were eliminated within 40 minutes, while Human colorectal adenocarcinoma epithelial cells mortality reached 91.98 % at a dose of 250 μg/mL. Our study underscores the potential of this strategy for photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants, and as an antibacterial agent, providing innovative insights into the design of ZnO-based heterostructure photocatalysts.