Hydrothermally synthesized Ag-TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) for photocatalytic dye degradation and antibacterial activity

This work successfully utilised eco-friendly green synthesis to produce Ag–TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs). As pollution and energy limitations have become global issues, there is an ongoing need to develop more effective catalysts through straightforward and environmentally friendly methods. The Ag–TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) XRD pattern exhibits an anatase TiO₂ and FCC crystal structure of Ag nanoparticles. The SEM investigation revealed a nanofiber-like surface morphology. The Ag–TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) exhibits an optical band gap energy is 2.5 eV. Methylene blue (MB), malachite green (MG), Congo red (CR), and crystal violet (CV) dye aqueous solutions were used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized Ag-modified TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) under direct sunlight irradiation. The effects of catalyst size on the efficient breakdown of MB dye were also investigated. The optimum catalyst concentration was found to be at 0.02 mg/mL. At 120 min of direct sunlight, the highest photosynthetic degradation efficiency (DE percentage) of 94% was achieved for MB dye. Ag–TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) have been demonstrated to have exceptional antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria E-Coli. Because of these great qualities, it seems likely that the Ag–TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) made could be a great photocatalyst for getting dye pollutants out of wastewater.