Designation of Double-shell Ag/AgCl/G-ZnFe2O4 Nanocube with Enhanced light absorption and Superior photocatalytic antibacterial activity.

The development of highly efficient photocatalysts are a primary goal in the photocatalysis domain, among which, reusable composite with synergistic photocatalytic effect has attracted extensive interests. The ability of the catalyst to capture light determines the photocatalytic effect, and porous or hollow photocatalysts are more conducive to the entry and reflection of light. The goal of this research was to develop a type of visible-light-driven, double-shell photocatalyst with high antibacterial activity and super cycling stability. The photocatalyst was fabricated using hollow graphitized ZnFe2O4 nanospheres (G-ZnFe2O4) as carrier. After G-ZnFe2O4 was functionalized with a polydopamine (PDA) template layer, cubic AgCl and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were generated on the surface of the PDA/G-ZnFe2O4 nanospheres successively. Then, the PDA template was removed using KOH solution and double-shell Ag/AgCl/G-ZnFe2O4 nanocubes (referred to as DAGZNs) with excellent photocatalytic antibacterial activity were constructed. The DAGZNs showed excellent antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Efficient synergistic photocatalytic antibacterial activity coupled with magnetic separability and recyclability, shows potential for the practical application of DAGZNs in water cleansing and environmental pollution purifying areas. The method of designing and synthesizing double-shell structures to enhance photocatalysis, may also be extended to the synthesis of other photocatalytic and optical materials.