Ni doped WO3 nanoplates: An excellent photocatalyst and novel nanomaterial for enhanced anticancer activities

We report on the effects of Ni doping on the structural, optical, photocatalytic and anticancer activities of WO3. Ni doped WO3 nanoplates were obtained via soft chemical co-precipitation method. The structural, morphological and vibrational modes of Ni doped WO3 were confirmed through XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The substitution of Ni2+ ions on the sites of W6+ ions was confirmed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The diffusion reflectance spectroscopy revealed the narrow optical band gap in the visible region for undoped sample, this further reduced upon Ni doping. The defects and oxygen deficiencies were analyzed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. Most importantly, the mineralization degree of organic dye using Ni doped WO3 photocatalyst was determined by total organic carbon analysis (TOC), reaching percentages of mineralization up to 96% of methyl red in just 2 h under illumination of visible light. Interestingly, it was also found that the percent cells viability of human breast (MCF-7) and liver (Hep-2) cancers cells were reduced remarkably up to 30% and 35% respectively with 5% Ni ions doping.