Ag nanoparticle-decorated chitosan/SrSnO3 nanocomposite for ultrafast elimination of antibiotic linezolid and methylene blue

Effective design of ultrafast new-generation photocatalysts is a challenging task that requires highly dedicated efforts. This research focused on the development and design of ultrafast smart ternary photocatalysts containing SrSnO₃ nanostructures in conjugation with chitosan (CTSN) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles by a very simple and straightforward methodology. Modern analytical tools such as FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were employed to characterize the synthesized nanostructures. XRD and XPS analysis confirmed the successful creation of ternary organization among the Ag, CTSN, and SrSnO₃. The TEM images clearly confirmed that CTSN possessed overlapping micron-sized sheets with a layered morphology, whereas the undoped SrSnO₃ particles exhibited spherical and elongated shapes and particle sizes ranging from 20 to 80 nm. These particles were produced in high density with homogeneously distributed Ag nanoparticles (4-15 nm). The bandgap energy (E_g) for bare SrSnO₃, CTSN/SrSnO₃, and Ag@CTSN/SrSnO₃ nanocomposites was found to be 4.0, 3.94, and 3.7 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic efficiencies of all newly created photocatalysts were evaluated by considering an antibiotic linezolid drug and methylene blue (MB) dye molecule as target analytes. Among all investigated samples, the Ag@CTSN/SrSnO₃ photocatalyst was found to be highly superior, with ultrafast removal of the linezolid drug at 96.02% within 25 min and almost total removal of the MB dye in just 12 min under UV light irradiation. The Ag@CTSN/SrSnO₃ photocatalyst exhibited removal rate that was 3.36 times faster than that of bare SrSnO₃. The present report delivers a highly promising, extremely efficient, and very simple, straightforward treatment methodology for the effective destruction of lethal and notorious pollutants, enabling the appropriate management of current environmental concerns.

Photocatalytic performance, anti-bacterial activities and 3-chlorophenol sensor fabrication using MnAl2O4·ZnAl2O4 nanomaterials

A MnAl₂O₄·ZnAl₂O₄ nanomaterial was synthesized by co-precipitation and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, AFM, FTIR, PL, CV and EIS. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite against MV dye and its MDR anti-bacterial functions were studied. The nanocomposite shows excellent photocatalytic as well as anti-bacterial activity. A MnAl₂O₄·ZnAl₂O₄ nanomaterial/Nafion/GCE electrode was fabricated and implemented as the working electrode of a 3-CP sensor. The sensor exhibited good sensitivity, with the lowest detection limit, fast response time, large linear dynamic range (LDR), and long-term stability in the chemical environment. The estimated sensitivity is 70.07 μA mM^-1 cm^-2. The LDR, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ) are 0.1 nM to 0.01 M, 0.0014 ± 0.0001 nM, and 0.004 nM, respectively. The MnAl₂O₄·ZnAl₂O₄ nanomaterial/Nafion/GCE is a promising fabricated sensor probe for the selective detection of 3-CP for the environmental safety and healthcare fields on a large scale.