The development of a multifunctional 9,10-dibromooctadecanoic acid-encapsulated heterostructure (Ag@Ag2O) as a nanocatalyst against water toxicity

Nanomaterials exhibiting engineered surface characteristics have drawn great interest towards various environmental applications. Here, a facile, soft, and rapid chemical synthesis route to obtain 9,10-dibromooctadecanoic acid-coated Ag@Ag2O core-shell nanostructures (ACSN) using a controlled amount of H2O2-HBr is reported. The coating and core-shell arrangement simultaneously enhanced the stability and shelf life of nanoparticles. UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the existence of Ag2O shell over the Ag core hybrid nanostructure. An analysis, comparing the reduction of various water toxins, such as cationic methylene blue (MB), anionic methyl orange (MO) and heavy metal Cr(vi), was performed. The higher percentage of degradation by ACSN within 10 minutes demonstrates superior multifunctional catalytic activity attributed to their core-shell morphology. The results suggest that this is an efficient and cost-effective method for purifying wastewater from organic and inorganic toxicity.

Automated summary

The study presents a facile chemical synthesis route to obtain Ag@Ag2O core-shell nanostructures coated with 9,10-dibromooctadecanoic acid, which enhances the stability and shelf life of the nanoparticles. The nanostructures demonstrated high degradation efficiency towards water toxins, suggesting a cost-effective method for purifying wastewater from organic and inorganic toxicity.