Synergistically engineered Ag@NiO–TiO2 ternary nanocomposites as dual-functional photocatalysts for pollutant degradation and antibacterial applications

Abstract

A synergistically engineered Ag@NiO–TiO2 ternary nanocomposite was synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and its performance was evaluated by organic pollutant degradation and antibiotic removal. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, (MB), crystal violet (CV), and ciprofloxacin (CIP) by the nanocomposite under UV-visible light irradiation was systematically studied for comparison. The photocatalytic removal achieved by the Ag@NiO–TiO2 nanocomposite for MB and CV was 88% and 90%, respectively, under UV-visible light irradiation after 1 h. Similarly, 57% removal of CIP from water was achieved using 20 mg L−1 of solution after 180 minutes of UV-visible light irradiation. The superior UV-visible photocatalytic capacity of the nanocomposite toward organic dyes was confirmed by its high removal efficiencies for MB and CV, and its potential for treating pharmaceutical wastewater was revealed by the moderate removal of CIP. The prepared compound was also evaluated for antimicrobial activities, and significant antimicrobial activities were achieved against bacterial and fungal strains. The results of the Ag@NiO–TiO2 ternary heterojunction nanocomposite showed that it is an effective photocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants under UV-visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the photocatalyst showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against all strains. Therefore, the synthesized Ag@NiO–TiO2 nanoparticles could have beneficial applications in environmental remediation and biological science.