Silver zirconate: A versatile visible light harvesting photocatalyst for oxygen evolution, PMS activation, and bactericidal activity

Abstract

Herein, we have synthesized silver zirconate using a co-precipitation method at room temperature. The synthesized Ag2ZrO3 (SZ) was then subjected to calcination at different temperatures (300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C). The synthesized Ag2ZrO3 materials were evaluated for their photocatalytic oxygen evolution, activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) ions, and antibacterial activity under visible light irradiation. Among the different samples, the SZ sample (Ag2ZrO3 synthesized at room temperature) exhibited the highest photocatalytic oxygen evolution rate (2175.02 μmolg-1h−1). This enhanced performance can be attributed to the higher surface area of SZ compared to the other samples. Furthermore, all four samples were tested for the photoactivation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) ions to assess their ability for the decontamination of organic pollutant. The SZ photocatalyst demonstrated complete degradation (100 %) of RhB dye (2.1 × 10-5 M) within 120 min of visible light irradiation in the presence of PMS. In contrast, without PMS, only 54.33 % degradation of RhB was recorded in 300 min. This result indicates that SZ effectively activates PMS ions for the degradation of organic pollutants. Additionally, SZ exhibited excellent bactericidal activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, both in the dark and in the presence of visible light. The findings demonstrate the multifunctional properties of Ag2ZrO3, making it suitable for a wide range of environmental remediation applications.