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Synthesis and Performance of Silver Photocatalytic Nanomaterials for Water Disinfection

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Advances in Photocatalytic Disinfection

Part of the book series: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology ((GCST))

Abstract

As a new generation of antimicrobial materials, silver nanoparticles have shown great potential in water disinfection due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. Besides, silver nanoparticles can prevent photogenerated electron-hole recombination by trapping electron and increase visible light absorption through the surface plasmon resonance enhancement, which exhibit excellent capability in enhancing photocatalytic efficiency of traditional photocatalysts, such as TiO2, AgX (X = Cl, Br, I), and ZnO. And the photocatalysis has been widely demonstrated to inactivate microorganisms in water, which offers a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable method to achieve water disinfection. Therefore, many efforts have been made on the development and study of silver photocatalytic nanomaterials for water disinfection, and silver photocatalytic nanomaterials have shown effective antimicrobial activities through multiple mechanisms under both light and dark conditions. This chapter reviews the recent studies that are focused on the synthesis, disinfection performance, and mechanisms of silver-modified photocatalytic nanomaterials, including Ag-TiO2, Ag-AgX (X = Cl, Br, I), and Ag-ZnO. The potential disinfection mechanisms of different types of photocatalytic nanomaterials are discussed, such as photocatalysis, antimicrobial effect of silver ions, and physical attack. And different synthesis methods of nanomaterials are also summarized, including reaction steps and parameters. Furthermore, the disinfection performance of different silver photocatalytic nanomaterials is compared. This chapter will offer useful scientific and technical information for the development and synthesis of new types of silver photocatalytic nanomaterials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Yongyou Hu

  2. School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Xuesen Hong

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  1. Yongyou Hu
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Correspondence to Yongyou Hu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Taicheng An

  2. Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

    Huijun Zhao

  3. School of Life Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Po Keung Wong

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Hu, Y., Hong, X. (2017). Synthesis and Performance of Silver Photocatalytic Nanomaterials for Water Disinfection. In: An, T., Zhao, H., Wong, P. (eds) Advances in Photocatalytic Disinfection. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53496-0_5

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