Visible light-driven photocatalytic and enzyme-like properties of novel AgBr/Ag2MoO4 for degradation of pollutants and improved antibacterial application

Abstract

The manufacture of multiple catalytic materials is an important matter to solve environmental pollution and bacterial infection. AgBr/Ag2MoO4 nanoparticles with different molar ratios were prepared by a simple one-step precipitation method. The morphology and component of AgBr/Ag2MoO4 were analyzed by several characterizations means including XRD, XPS, and SEM et al., which showed that the loaded content of AgBr was different in different molar ratios. 1:1AgBr/Ag2MoO4 displayed better enzyme-like activity than that of the pure AgBr and Ag2MoO4. It can depict that 1:1AgBr/Ag2MoO4 possessed excellent photocatalytic activity with a 100% degradation rate of rhodamine B, and nearly 80% degradation rate of tetracycline hydrochloride. ∙O2– can be produced from the enzyme reaction system and the photocatalytic system, and ∙OH can be generated under visible light, which can successfully kill Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The sterilization rate of AgBr/Ag2MoO4 with visible light and H2O2 achieved 100% in a short time toward E. coli and S. aureus. The AgBr/Ag2MoO4 composite, as the bactericidal catalyst, with dual catalytic activities is a promising material in the field of environmental pollution and bacterial infection.