Abstract
Photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of nanoparticles are strongly governed by their morphology. By varying the type of solvent used, one can obtain different shapes of ZnO nanoparticles and tune the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and metal ion (Zn2+) generation, which in turn dictates their activity. ZnO nanostructures were fabricated via facile wet chemical method by varying the type of solvents. Solar light assisted photocatalytic degradation of caffeine and antibacterial activity against E. coli were examined in presence ZnO nanostructures. In addition to an elaborate nanoparticle characterization, adsorption and kinetic experiments were performed to determine the ability of nanostructures to degrade caffeine. Zone of inhibition, time kill assay and electron microscopy imaging were carried out to assess the antibacterial activity. Experimental findings indicate that ZnO nanospheres generated maximum ROS and Zn2+ ions followed by ZnO nanopetals and ZnO nanorods. As a result, ZnO nanospheres exhibited highest degradation of caffeine as well as killing of E. coli. While ROS is mainly responsible for the photocatalytic activity of nanostructures, their antibacterial activity is mostly due to the combination of ROS, metal ion, physical attrition and cell internalization.
Highlights
Caffeine is one of the most abundant xenobiotics that causes water pollution due to its high daily consumption across the globe [1]
Morphology-controlled ZnO were successfully synthesized by wet chemical process
Electron microscopy images showed that sphere, petal and rod-like ZnO were formed in PEG400, water and toluene, respectively
Summary
Caffeine is one of the most abundant xenobiotics that causes water pollution due to its high daily consumption across the globe [1]. Apart from food industry, caffeine is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry [2,3]. Another pollutant found in wastewater effluents that causes serious health concerns are pathogenic microorganisms. Even the advanced techniques such as membrane filtration faces a serious drawback of fouling that increases energy consumption and lowers the separation efficiency. To overcome these obstacles, nanotechnology offers a versatile and promising solution for the degradation of organic matter and elimination of microbes from wastewater in a cost-effective way
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