In-Situ Synthesized Ag@AgCl-Collagen Fiber Nano-Hybrid Materials and Their Photocatalytic Activities

To expand the utilization of collagen fiber, Ag@AgCl-collagen fiber nano-hybrid materials with photocatalytic activities were successfully prepared in this study via an in situ organic-inorganic process. The surface morphology, hybrid mechanism and the chemical composition and structure of these materials are discussed, and the evaluation of photocatalytic activity is included at the end of this paper. The SEM observation showed that the AgCl particles were evenly distributed in the collagen fiber, and the size of the AgCl particles was approximately 300-500 nm. The comparison of these SEM photographs implied the hybrid mechanism of the in situ organic-inorganic process. XRD patterns and FTIR analysis certified the existence of AgCl and collagen fiber, respectively. The photocatalytic activity evaluation was carried out by degrading methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet (UV) light and daylight, respectively. The experimental results indicated that Ag@AgCl-collagen fiber nano-hybrid materials can respond to both UV and daylight, and their photocatalytic activity was notable. The effect of pH on the degradation of MO under daylight was also investigated; the results showed that the photocatalytic activity was restricted as pH value increased. Lastly, the antibacterial performance was investigated by measuring the widths of the bacteriostatic belts, which indicated the antibacterial activity of the material.