The impact of Ag dopant on the photocatalytic activity toward methylene blue and antimicrobial activities of g-C₃N₄/ZnO nanocomposite

Water contamination is one of the greatest challenges that need to be addressed because it directly impacts every living thing on the entire globe, including humans. The primary source of contamination, particularly dyes, in water, is factory runoff onto flowing streams. In the current study, ZnO/graphitic carbon nitride (ZnO/g-C₃N₄)-doped Ag metal was prepared using a co-precipitation approach to investigate photocatalytic efficiency and antimicrobial activity on methylene blue dye. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, BET, and UV. They revealed a high BET surface area, which could increase the adsorption capacity and photodegradation efficiency. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/g-C₃N₄-Ag nanocomposites was determined using methylene blue dye under visible light activation. Samples ZnO/g-C₃N₄ and ZnO/g-C₃N₄ doped with 1.0 M Ag revealed the best photocatalytic performance; they revealed high removal efficiencies of about 97.4 and 97%, respectively, after 120 min of light exposure. The nanocomposite revealed antimicrobial activity against different pathogens of G-negative (E. coli) and G-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus); again, samples ZnO/g-C₃N₄ and ZnO/g-C₃N₄-1.0 M Ag revealed the highest zone of inhibition (ZOI) on E. coli and Staphylococcus, respectively. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)