Hydrothermally synthesized Ag-TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) for photocatalytic dye degradation and antibacterial activity

Abstract

This work successfully utilised eco-friendly green synthesis to produce Ag–TiO2 nanofibers (NFs). As pollution and energy limitations have become global issues, there is an ongoing need to develop more effective catalysts through straightforward and environmentally friendly methods. The Ag–TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) XRD pattern exhibits an anatase TiO2 and FCC crystal structure of Ag nanoparticles. The SEM investigation revealed a nanofiber-like surface morphology. The Ag–TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) exhibits an optical band gap energy is 2.5 eV. Methylene blue (MB), malachite green (MG), Congo red (CR), and crystal violet (CV) dye aqueous solutions were used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized Ag-modified TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) under direct sunlight irradiation. The effects of catalyst size on the efficient breakdown of MB dye were also investigated. The optimum catalyst concentration was found to be at 0.02 mg/mL. At 120 min of direct sunlight, the highest photosynthetic degradation efficiency (DE percentage) of 94% was achieved for MB dye. Ag–TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) have been demonstrated to have exceptional antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria E-Coli. Because of these great qualities, it seems likely that the Ag–TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) made could be a great photocatalyst for getting dye pollutants out of wastewater.