In situ decoration of Ag@AgCl nanoparticles on polyurethane/silk fibroin composite porous films for photocatalytic and antibacterial applications

Abstract

An efficient Ag@AgCl-polyurethane/silk fibroin (Ag@AgCl-PU/SF) composite photocatalyst was synthesized by an eco-friendly and practical multistep route, including a wet phase inversion technique, to prepare polyurethane/silk fibroin (PU/SF) composite porous films as a substrate. An impregnation-precipitation-photoreduction process was used to decorate Ag@AgCl nanoparticles in situ on the PU/SF composite porous films. The obtained samples exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet and visible light. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic activity of the samples decreased only slightly after 4 runs of photodegradation of RhB. Importantly, the Ag@AgCl-PU/SF films could be recycled without centrifugation and filtration. The Ag@AgCl-PU/SF films also exhibited excellent antibacterial activity. Possible mechanisms for photocatalysis were proposed. This work may provide a new approach for the design of novel porous polyurethane film photoreactors that possess excellent photocatalytic and antibacterial activities for multifunctional applications.