Multifunctional metal (Ag, Bi)-organic frameworks: a versatile platform for photocatalytic degradation, CO₂ and N₂ reduction, and enhanced antibacterial applications

The facile synthesis of a bimetallic-organic framework is successfully established to portray an efficient catalyst in photocatalytic degradation and photoreduction of nitrogen (N-2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and with antibacterial properties. In the current study, a novel B-BTC (where B represents Ag and Bi) organic framework was successfully synthesized and opted for advanced characterizations. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photon spectroscopy illustrate the heterostructure formation, whereas X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, zeta sizer, and zeta potential were used to reveal the crystallinity, polydispersity, and average size of the nanomaterial. The material was characterized for photoluminescence analysis to understand the recombination rate and has been compared with the Biorganic framework. B-BTC was further opted to determine the photocatalytic efficacy, through photo catalytic degradation of amoxicillin (AMX), photocatalytic reduction of N-2 to ammonia (NH3), photoreduction of CO2, and antibacterial disinfection. The catalyst showcased similar to 90% degradation of AMX under light-emitting diode light irradiation for 60 min. Successful photoreduction of N-2 and CO2 showcases a fair generation of NH3 and value-added hydrocarbons, respectively. For each photocatalytic application, a mechanism has been knitted for understanding the overall reactions concerning the proposed reactions. Interestingly, the catalyst also showcased excellent antibacterial activity toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with a proposed mechanism. (c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.