Abstract
In this article, we propose a simple photochemical method to synthesize pure La2Ti2O7 films and La2Ti2O7 films doped with silver at 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mol%. After annealing the photo-deposited films at 900 °C, XRD, SEM, and XPS analyses showed the formation of a monoclinic La2Ti2O7 phase and the presence of Ag and AgO in doped samples. Photocatalytic tests for Congo red degradation demonstrated that pure La2Ti2O7 achieved 25.4% degradation, while doped samples reached a maximum of 92.7% degradation. Moreover, increasing silver doping on La2Ti2O7 films significantly reduced the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, indicating potential antibacterial properties. The enhanced photoactivity was attributed to the formation of a type I heterojunction between La2Ti2O7 and AgO, and a degradation mechanism was proposed based on Congo red degradation.
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Acknowledgements
Luis Fernandez extends his appreciation to the post-graduate office of the University of Bío-Bío for the doctoral fellowship.
Funding
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the following organizations and programs for their support:
• CONICYT-FONDEQUIP-Chile Program (No. EQM-140088) SEM UBB
• ANID-FONDECYT-Chile Grant No. 1190357 (G. Cabello Guzmán)
• CONICYT-FONDEQUIP-Chile Program (No. EQM-140044) XPS MIANI UCN
• The post-graduate office of the University of Bío-Bío (Program INES I + D 22–16)
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Luis Fernández, Felipe Bustos, Diana Correa, Mathias Seguel, Cristian Suarez, Claudia Caro, and Patricio Leyton. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Gerardo Cabello Guzman, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Fernández, L., Bustos, F., Correa, D. et al. A photochemical route in the synthesis and characterization of La2Ti2O7 and La2Ti2O7/AgO films and its evaluation in Congo red degradation and as antibacterial control to Staphylococcus aureus. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 107580–107597 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29847-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29847-1