Elucidation of photocatalysis, photoluminescence and antibacterial studies of Ag2MoO4 decorated NiMoO4 nano-heterostructure

Photocatalysis is reported to be an effective method for the removal of organic toxic pollutant present in the environmental waters and industrial effluents. NiMoO4/Ag2MoO4 nanocluster (NMO/AMO) was synthesized for its multiple applications such as photocatalytic property under visible light irradiation and antimicrobial activity. The structure and the morphological features of NMO/AMO was determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier-transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), BET isotherm and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). EDAX and XRD confirm the formation of NMO/AMO and its crystalline nature. PL of NMO/AMO showed that the intensity was lower than individual AMO and NMO, which indicates its reduced recombination of charge carriers. Effective photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye was noticed by using NMO/AMO. NMO/AMO nanocluster showed 84.5% degradation at 1st cycle and 82.2% at 6th cycle which confirm its reusability. Here, the photocatalytic activity was enhanced mainly due to h(+) and OH-, and it follows pseudo first order kinetics. The antimicrobial activity of NMO/AMO nanocluster, AMO and NMO nanoparticles were performed against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis at different concentrations. The NMO/AMO nanocluster showed effective antimicrobial activity than the individual AMO and NMO nanoparticles. Hence, the fabricated NMO/AMO nanocluster could be used as an effective candidate for high potential environmental application such has industrial water treatment, antibacterial agent etc.

Automated summary

NiMoO4/Ag2MoO4 nanocluster (NMO/AMO) was synthesized for photocatalytic and antimicrobial applications, with its structure and properties characterized using various techniques. The nanocluster exhibited effective photodegradation of methylene blue dye and showed superior antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis compared to individual nanoparticles. This suggests that NMO/AMO could be a promising candidate for environmental applications such as industrial water treatment and antibacterial agents.