Characterization and Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Properties of Ag- and TiO<sub>x</sub>-Based (x = 2, 3) Composite Nanomaterials under UV Irradiation
Nicola Morante,
Veronica Folliero,
Federica Dell’Annunziata,
Nicoletta Capuano,
Antonietta Mancuso,
Katia Monzillo,
Massimiliano Galdiero,
Diana Sannino,
Gianluigi Franci
Affiliations
Nicola Morante
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Veronica Folliero
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Baronissi, SA, Italy
Federica Dell’Annunziata
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Baronissi, SA, Italy
Nicoletta Capuano
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Baronissi, SA, Italy
Antonietta Mancuso
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Katia Monzillo
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Massimiliano Galdiero
Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, NA, Italy
Diana Sannino
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Gianluigi Franci
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Baronissi, SA, Italy
Metal and metal oxide nanostructured materials have been chemically and physically characterized and tested concerning methylene blue (MB) photoremoval and UV antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In detail, silver nanoparticles and commercial BaTiO3 nanoparticles were modified to obtain nanocomposites through sonicated sol–gel TiO2 synthesis and the photodeposition of Ag nanoparticles, respectively. The characterization results of pristine nanomaterials and synthetized photocatalysts revealed significant differences in specific surface area (SSA), the presence of impurities in commercial Ag nanoparticles, an anatase phase with brookite traces for TiO2-based nanomaterials, and a mixed cubic–tetragonal phase for BaTiO3. Silver nanoparticles exhibited superior antibacterial activity at different dosages; however, they were inactive in the photoremoval of the dye. The silver–TiOx nanocomposite demonstrated an activity in the UV photodegradation of MB and UV inhibition of bacterial growth. Specifically, TiO2/AgNP (30–50 nm) reduced growth by 487.5 and 1.1 × 103 times for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, at a dose of 500 μg/mL under UV irradiation.
