Multifunctional metal and metal oxide hybrid nanomaterials for solar light photocatalyst and antibacterial applications

Abstract

While simple mixing of the multiple nanostructural components might not necessarily satisfy the multiple functional requirements, this research work showed that such structural complexity demanded both strategic structural design and deliberate fabrication methods. As such, nanosilver-hybridized WO 3 nanofibers incorporating paramagnetic CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were for the first time fabricated following three aspects of morphological control-bulk crystallinity, fiber chemical compositions, and surface modifications. Experimentally, co-precipitation, eletrospinning, and photodeposition were employed to synthesize CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles, generate magnetically recoverable solar light-active photocatalyst nanofibers, and decorate them with nanosilver, respectively. The successful synthetic steps represented a facile and scalable route to multifunctional nanocatalyst against waterborne pollutants with organic and microbial constituents via WO 3 photocatalytic system. The work extended to nanofiber fabrication using the NS LAB 500 Nanospider machine which allowed for the pilot-scale hybrid nanofibrous catalyst effective under natural sunlight towards elimination of a model waterborne pollutant.

Methods, Mechanism, and Applications of Photodeposition in Photocatalysis: A Review

“…177 In such a case, either (i) the photodeposition has been performed on one of the two photocatalysts first, after which the other photocatalyst was added, 160,175,176 or (ii) the composite photocatalyst was synthesized first, after which the photodeposition took place. 159,173,174,177 For example, Karaćsonyi et al 160 performed photodeposition of Au and Pt on WO 3 /TiO 2 composites. In this case, Au or Pt was photodeposited on either TiO 2 or WO 3 first.…”

Light-Induced Assembly of Metal Nanoparticles on ZnO Enhances the Generation of Charge Carriers, Reactive Oxygen Species, and Antibacterial Activity

“…Semiconductor/metal hybrid nanostructures have attracted great interest because of their potential for environmental remediation (such as wastewater treatment and air filtration), , solar energy conversion, , and antibacterial applications. , Various combinations of semiconductors (metal oxides and metal sulfides) and metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, and binary metals) have been synthesized in the past to optimize catalytic efficiency. − Specific combinations of semiconductor and metal has been well-demonstrated as an effective way to enhance the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors, but their catalytic efficiency is affected not only by particle size, shape, and metal composition but also by the metal/semiconductor composition ratio and connection type. − For example, TiO 2 decorated by smaller sized Pt NPs exhibited superior photocatalytic hydrogen production, and the combination of TiO 2 with Au nanorods or nanocages exhibited improved photocatalytic activity in visible and near-infrared regions …”

Biomimetic taro leaf-like films decorated on wood surfaces using soft lithography for superparamagnetic and superhydrophobic performance

“…Increasing moisture resistance by using superhydrophobic surfaces will increase the durability of these materials, especially in humid or outdoor conditions [17]. So far, numerous research papers referring to the chemical modification of wood for hydrophobicity, including acetylation [18], metal oxide modification [19][20][21], one-pot method [22], solgel process [23], spraying method [13], and microemulsion techniques [19]. Soft lithography, a set of techniques for microfabrication, is based on printing and molding using elastomeric stamps with the patterns of interest in bas-relief.…”