Sea urchin-like WO3-x loaded with Ag for photocatalytic degradation and bactericidal.

At present, a large number of pathogenic microorganisms and organic dyes pollute water resources and have an impact on human health. Photocatalysis is a promising method for sterilization and degradation. But research on the effective use of sunlight for photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria is limited. Sea urchin-like WO 3-x was synthesized by hydrothermal method. Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) supported on WO 3-x nanospheres were prepared by the photoreduction method to obtain Ag/WO 3-x composites, and the reduction time could control the loading amount. The relevant properties of the material were characterized in detail. The photodegradation of Rhodamine B (Rhb) by WO 3-x and Ag/WO 3-x was carried out under simulated sunlight. The results shown that the photocatalytic degradation rate of Ag/WO 3-x was about 69%, which was about twice that of WO 3-x. The bactericidal activity of WO 3-x and Ag/WO 3-x against Escherichia coli(E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) was investigated. The synthesized Ag/WO 3-x composites exhibited more than 97% bactericidal rate against both model bacteria under 2 ​h of light irradiation. The excellent photocatalytic degradation and bactericidal properties of Ag/WO 3-x composites were due to the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the composites after WO 3-x loaded with Ag NPs. Sea urchin-like WO 3-x and Ag/WO 3-x were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The results showed that the photocatalytic performance of WO 3-x was improved after loading with Ag NPs. Ag/WO 3-x have the potential to be used as photocatalysts to treat wastewater containing organic dyes and pathogenic microorganisms. [Display omitted] • Sea urchin-like WO 3-x and Ag NPs-loaded WO 3-x were synthesized by hydrothermal method. • Photocatalytic degradation and sterilization of Ag/WO 3-x were investigated. • Ag/WO 3-x has excellent photocatalytic degradation and bactericidal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]