Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Properties of Ag-CuFe2O4@WO3 Magnetic Nanocomposite

This study aimed to synthesize a new magnetic photocatalytic nanosystem composed of Ag-CuFe2O4@WO3 and to investigate its photodegradation efficiency for two drug pollutants of Gemfibrozil (GEM) and Tamoxifen (TAM) under Ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. In this regard, the effect of pH, catalyst dosage, and drug concentration was thoroughly determined. The largest photodegradation level for GEM (81%) and TAM (83%) was achieved at pH 5, a photocatalyst dosage of 0.2 g/L, drug concentration of 5 mg/L, and contact time of 150 min. The drug photodegradation process followed the pseudo first-order kinetic model. In addition to the photodegradation effect, the nanocomposites were proved to be efficient in terms of antibacterial activity, proportional to the Ag doping level. The Ag-CuFe2O4@WO3 nanocomposite exhibited a stable, efficient performance without an obvious catalytic loss after five successive cycles. Taken together, the developed magnetic photocatalyst is able to simultaneously disinfect wastewater streams and to degrade pharmaceutical contaminants and thus shows a promising potential for purification of multi-contaminant water systems.

Automated summary

The study developed a new magnetic photocatalytic nanosystem, Ag-CuFe2O4@WO3, with high photodegradation efficiency for GEM and TAM, as well as demonstrated efficient antibacterial activity and stable performance over multiple cycles. The nanocomposite shows promising potential for simultaneous disinfection of wastewater streams and degradation of pharmaceutical contaminants in multi-contaminant water systems.