In the present study,
Mo-BiVO4-loaded and metal oxide
(MO: Ag2Ox, CoOx, and CuOx)-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts were synthesized using
a wet impregnation method and applied for microbial inactivation (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus
aureus) and orange II dye degradation under visible-light
(VL) conditions (λ ≥ 420 nm). The amount of MO cocatalysts
loaded onto the surface of the Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts
was effectively controlled by varying their weight percentages (i.e.,
1–3 wt %). Among the pure Mo-BiVO4, Ag2Ox-, CoOx-, and CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts used in bacterial E. coli and S. aureus inactivation under
VL irradiation, the 2 wt % CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalyst showed the highest degradation efficiency of E. coli (97%) and S. aureus (99%). Additionally, the maximum orange II dye degradation efficiency
(80.2%) was achieved over the CuOx (2 wt %)-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts after 5 h of radiation. The bacterial inactivation
results also suggested that the CuO
x
-loaded
Mo-BiVO4 nanostructure has significantly improved antimicrobial
ability as compared to CuOx/BiVO4. The enhancement
of the inactivation performance of CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Mo doping
and Cu2+ ions in CuOx, which further acted as
an electron trap on the surface of Mo-BiVO4 and promoted
fast transfer and separation of the photoelectron (e–)/hole (h+) pairs for growth of reactive oxygen species
(ROS). Furthermore, during the bacterial inactivation process, the
ROS can disrupt the plasma membrane and destroy metabolic pathways,
leading to bacterial cell death. Therefore, we provide a novel idea
for visible-light-activated photocatalytic antibacterial approach
for future disinfection applications.
Herein,
first, we synthesize a multifunctional photocatalyst
via
metal oxides loaded (Co/Pd) on acid-treated TiO2 nanorods
(ATO) and further introduce hydrogen annealing treatment. The hydrogen
annealing treatment introduces metal oxides converted into a bimetallic
form and delays the photogenerated charge recombination process. Also,
oxygen vacancies are formed due to the partial reduction of Ti4+ to Ti3+ sites. In addition, oxygen vacancies
help to improve photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial activity.
The hydrogen-treated photocatalyst (Pd(1)Co(1)/ATO (red)) demonstrates
high degradation efficiencies of 99.63 and 99.90% (180 min) for orange
II dye and BPA degradation, respectively, and an antibacterial activity
of 97.00% (120 min) under one sun irradiation. In the photocatalytic
removal of abiotic pollutants and live bacteria, the trapping experiment
suggests that radical species (•O2
– and •OH), assisted by photoinduced
holes, are responsible for the high activities. The photoelectrochemical
performance and time-resolved PL (TRPL) study illustrate that Pd(1)Co(1)/ATO
(red) reveals superior photoelectrochemical charge separation (electron–hole),
lower resistance, and shorter lifetime (τ1 = 0.40
ns) as a photocatalyst. Finally, plausible charge transport mechanisms
are proposed for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye and
bacterial disinfection over the Pd(1)Co(1)/ATO (red) photocatalyst.
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