In situ fabrication of Ag decorated porous ZnO photocatalyst via inorganic–organic hybrid transformation for degradation of organic pollutant and bacterial inactivation

In this study, in situ silver (Ag) - porous ZnO photocatalysts were synthesized via solvothermal and post-annealing treatment. The formation of the porous ZnO structure due to the removal of organic moieties from the inorganic–organic hybrids Ag-ZnS(en)_0.5 during the annealing process. The optimal Ag–ZnO photocatalyst showed excellent photocatalytic degradation activity, with 95.5% orange II dye and 97.2% bisphenol A (BPA) degradation under visible light conditions. Additionally, the photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) led to a 97% inactivation rate after 2 h under dark conditions. Trapping experiments suggest that the superoxide anion ([Formula presented]O₂⁻) radicals are the main active species to degrade the organic dye. The improved photocatalytic dye degradation activity and inactivation of bacteria were attributed to the synergistic effect of Ag and porous ZnO structure, increased surface area, and efficiently separated the photoexcited charge carriers. This work could provide an effective strategy for the synthesis of porous structures toward organic pollutant degradation and bacterial inactivation in wastewater.