Ag doped and Ag dispersed nano ZnTiO3: Improved photocatalytic organic pollutant degradation under solar irradiation and antibacterial activity

• Ag/ZnTiO3 and pure ZnTiO3 nanorods synthesized by microwave assisted approach.
• Characterization done using XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS and BET analysis.
• Photocatalytic study done under UV–vis and also natural solar irradiation.
• Degradation of organic pollutant by Ag/ZnTiO3 under sunlight within 45 min.
• Antibacterial activity of Ag dispersed/doped ZnTiO3 has been demonstrated.

Nano ZnTiO3 and Ag doped/dispersed ZnTiO3:Ag(x%) (x = 2 and 5) has been synthesized using a facile microwave assisted technique. Annealing of the as synthesized product at 500 °C yields pure rhombohedral ZnTiO3. The products have been characterized using X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) together with energy dispersion X-ray spectrum (EDS) analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. On increasing the Ag doping to 5 mol%, Ag nanoparticles was deposited on the Ag doped ZnTiO3 nanorods. The photocatalytic studies revealed that this sample exhibited complete photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under sunlight within 45 min. The antibacterial activity of undoped and Ag doped ZnTiO3 was tested against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Our studies indicate that apart from the modification in band gap of ZnTiO3 by Ag doping, the deposition of Ag nanoparticles also play a role in enhancing its photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. The findings in this study establish the multifunctionality of such Ag dispersed and Ag doped ZnTiO3 nanorods synthesized via microwave assisted approach, both as an antibacterial agent and as an efficient material for photocatalysis under sunlight.

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