Enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial properties of silver–zirconia nanoparticles for environmental pollution treatment

Silver–zirconia nanoparticles (Ag–ZrO2 NPs) were synthesized via an in situ strategy at room temperature using NaBH4 as a reducing agent. The surface modification of ZrO2 nanoparticles with nano silver was confirmed through various characterization techniques including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The obtained results demonstrated that Ag nanoparticles, with a crystallite size of approximately 12 nm, were uniformly distributed on the surface of ZrO2 nanoparticles. The incorporation of Ag nanoparticles to the ZrO2 nanoparticles led to increasing the light absorption ability and reducing the band gap of Ag–ZrO2 nanoparticles, thereby enhancing their photocatalytic performance under infrared lamp exposure. When 1 g/L of Ag–ZrO2 nanoparticles was employed to methylene blue (MB) solution, the degradation of MB reached 90 % after 5 h of exposure. Additionally, the Ag–ZrO2 nanoparticles exhibited a high antibacterial activity against two bacterial strains, E. coli and S. aureus. These findings highlight the potential of Ag–ZrO2 nanoparticles as effective materials for environmental pollution treatment through advanced oxidation processes.