Innovative Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanofibers with Excellent Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Actions

Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures were prepared by electrospinning, followed by calcination at 400 °C, and their photocatalytic and antibacterial actions were studied. Morphological characterization revealed the presence of one-dimensional uniform Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanostruc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Petronela Pascariu, Corneliu Cojocaru, Anton Airinei, Niculae Olaru, Irina Rosca, Emmanouel Koudoumas, Mirela Petruta Suchea
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:Catalysts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/10/1234
Description
Summary:Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures were prepared by electrospinning, followed by calcination at 400 °C, and their photocatalytic and antibacterial actions were studied. Morphological characterization revealed the presence of one-dimensional uniform Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanostructured nanofibers, with a diameter from 65 to 100 nm, depending on the Ag loading, composed of small crystals interconnected with each other. Structural characterization indicated that Ag was successfully integrated as small nanocrystals without affecting much of the TiO<sub>2</sub> crystal lattice. Moreover, the presence of nano Ag was found to contribute to reducing the band gap energy, which enables the activation by the absorption of visible light, while, at the same time, it delays the electron–hole recombination. Tests of their photocatalytic activity in methylene blue, amaranth, Congo red and orange II degradation revealed an increase by more than 20% in color removal efficiency at an almost double rate for the case of 0.1% Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanofibers with respect to pure TiO<sub>2</sub>. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration was found as low as 2.5 mg/mL for <i>E. coli</i> and 5 mg/mL against <i>S. aureus</i> for the 5% Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanofibers. In general, the Ag–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanostructured nanofibers were found to exhibit excellent structure and physical properties and to be suitable for efficient photocatalytic and antibacterial uses. Therefore, these can be suitable for further integration in various important applications.
ISSN:2073-4344