Highly efficient of molybdenum trioxide-cadmium titanate nanocomposites for ultraviolet light photocatalytic and antimicrobial application: Influence of reactive oxygen species

Abstract

In the present work we report the enhanced UV light photocatalytic performance of cadmium titanate photocatalyst by MoO₃ for Drug pollutant degradation. The nano photocatalyst sample was synthesized employing the Pechini-ultrasonic-hydrothermal route. Therefore, the nano photocatalyst were characterized by various analytical devices. The wide scan X-ray photoelectron spectral study confirmed the MoO₃ in the CdTiO₃ matrix. The crystallite size calculated with the Debye-Scherrer equation (55.4, 57.0, 61.2 and 63.1 nm for pure CdTiO₃, MoCdTi-0, MoCdTi-1, and MoCdTi-2 nanocomposites, respectively). SEM micrographs revealed nanowire morphology indicated the crystalline nature of the sample. The MoO₃-CdTiO₃ photocatalyst degraded the aspirin pollutant in 90 min under UV light which was higher and efficient than the pristine cadmium titanate. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency can be attributed to the significant decrease in the band gap energy relative to the pristine cadmium titanate coupled with larger surface area morphology. The actual band gap values calculated were 2.95 to 2.66 eV ranges. The antifungal efficiency of the CdTiO₃, and MoO₃-CdTiO₃ was examined against Aspergillus flavus, and Trigoderma veride and their antibacterial efficiency was examined against Escherichia coli, and streptococcus pyogenes. The MoO₃-CdTiO₃ with high ratio of MoO₃ has suitable to good activity compared with pure CdTiO₃ and other MoO₃-CdTiO₃ samples.

Keywords: Antimicrobial; Aspirin; Cadmium titanate; MoO(3); Photocatalysis.