Singlet oxygen mediated efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and disinfection by ZnO@PDA/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite under LED light

Herein, a core-shell [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite with high photocatalytic efficiency was synthesized via a solvothermal method. Due to polydopamine (PDA) coating and Ag-Ag2O doping, [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite yielded a high amount of singlet oxygen (1O2) upon visible light irradiation, compared with unmodified ZnO and [email protected] nanosheets. Under LED irradiation, [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite with a p-n heterojunction exhibited remarkable photocatalytic efficiency for removing rhodamine B and eliminating Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite demonstrated high stability and photocatalytic activity after five consecutive cycles. It also effectively eliminated established biofilms and inhibited the generation of new biofilms. Wound-healing infected by S. aureus in vivo indicated that [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite with LED irradiation inhibited microbial infection of wound and promoted wound healing. Therefore, 1O2-mediated [email protected]/Ag-Ag2O nanocomposite is expected to be a promising photocatalyst in the fields of sewage treatment, antibacterial agents, and nanomedicines.