Rational Design of W-Doped Ag3PO4 as an Efficient Antibacterial Agent and Photocatalyst for Organic Pollutant Degradation

Author(s):Show less -

Trench, Aline B. ^[1] ; Machado, Thales R. ^[1] ; Gouveia, Amanda F. ^[2] ; Foggi, Camila C. ^[1] ; Teodoro, Vinicius ^[1] ; Sanchez-Montes, Isaac ^[3] ; Teixeira, Mayara M. ^[1] ; Trindade, Leticia G. ^[4] ; Jacomaci, Natalia ^[5] ; Perrin, Andre ^[6] ; Perrin, Christiane ^[6] ; Aquino, Jose M. ^[3] ; Andres, Juan ^[7] ; Longo, Elson ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, CDMF, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Chem, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[4] Sao Paulo State Univ, Dept Chem, BR-17033360 Bauru, SP - Brazil

^[5] Sao Paulo State Univ, Chem Inst, BR-14800060 Araraquara, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Rennes 1, F-35042 Rennes - France

^[7] Univ Jaume 1, Dept Analyt & Phys Chem, Castellon de La Plana 12071 - Spain

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS OMEGA; v. 5, n. 37, p. 23808-23821, SEP 22 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Bacterial and organic pollutants are major problems with potential adverse impacts on human health and the environment. A promising strategy to alleviate these impacts consists in designing innovative photocatalysts with a wider spectrum of application. In this paper, we report the improved photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of chemically precipitated Ag3PO4 microcrystals by the incorporation of W at doping levels 0.5, 1, and 2 mol %. The presence of W directly influences the crystallization of Ag3PO4, affecting the morphology, particle size, and surface area of the microcrystals. Also, the characterization via experimental and theoretical approaches evidenced a high density of disordered {[}AgO4], {[}PO4], and {[}WO4] structural clusters due to the substitution of P5+ by W6+ into the Ag3PO4 lattice. This leads to new defect-related energy states, which decreases the band gap energy of the materials (from 2.27 to 2.04 eV) and delays the recombination of e'-h(center dot) pairs, leading to an enhanced degradation process. As a result of such behaviors, W-doped Ag3PO4 (Ag3PO4:W) is a better visible-light photocatalyst than Ag3PO4, demonstrated here by the photodegradation of potential environmental pollutants. The degradation of rhodamine B dye was 100% in 4 min for Ag3PO4:W 1%, and for Ag3PO4, the obtained result was 90% of degradation in 15 min of reaction. Ag3PO4:W 1% allowed the total degradation of cephalexin antibiotic in only 4 min, whereas pure Ag3PO4 took 20 min to achieve the same result. For the degradation of imidacloprid insecticide, Ag3PO4:W 1% allowed 90% of degradation, whereas Ag3PO4 allowed 40%, both in 20 min of reaction. Moreover, the presence of W-dopant results in a 16-fold improvement of bactericidal performance against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The outstanding results using the Ag3PO4:W material demonstrated its potential multifunctionality for the control of organic pollutants and bacteria in environmental applications. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/12594-3 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials
• Grantee: Camila Cristina de Foggi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 19/13507-2 - Characterization and antimicrobial activity of Ag2WO4 film deposited by femtosecond laser on titanium surface
• Grantee: Camila Cristina de Foggi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials
• Grantee: Elson Longo da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 19/01732-1 - Photocatalytic activity of multifunctional semiconductors: influence of morphology and electron injection
• Grantee: Amanda Fernandes Gouveia
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral