Novel magnetically separable silver-iron oxide nanoparticles decorated graphitic carbon nitride nano-sheets: A multifunctional photocatalyst via one-step hydrothermal process

Development of photocatalytic materials with magnetic and antibacterial properties is highly desirable in wastewater treatment. In this study, a novel magnetically separable silver-iron oxide nanoparticles (Ag-Fe₃O₄ NPs) decorated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanocomposite via hydrothermal treatment has been presented for the multifaceted applications. The physiochemical properties of the as-synthesized ternary nanocomposite were characterized by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The experimental results showed that loading of Ag on Fe₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite significantly improved the catalytic activity of the composite material in terms of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (Mdestruction of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. More importantly, the as-synthesized silver-iron oxide nanoparticles decorated graphitic carbon nitride (Ag-Fe₃O₄/g-C₃N₄) nanocomposite catalyst could be recovered by an applied external magnet and reused without the loss of photocatalytic activity. The obtained results showed that the synthesized material has potential as an economically friendly photocatalyst for environmental and energy applications.