BSA mediated Ag@Bi2S3 composites: synthesis,characterization, photodegradation of mixed dyes via metal-semiconductor interface,antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

Nowadays, the development of metal-metal sulfide interface semiconductors using green approach is best material for the photocatalytic and biological applications. Here, we provided for the first time, an environmentally friendly route to fabricate bovine serum albumin (BSA) assisted Ag@Bi₂S₃ composites through a metal-metal sulphide interface via a simple hydrothermal method for the evaluation of photochemical and biological applications. The synthesized composites were characterized by UV–vis DRS, PL, XRD, TEM, and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms. The UV–vis DRS and PL spectra show that the obtained nano-sized Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite displays enhanced visible-light absorption and a decreased fluorescence emission compared to that of Bi₂S₃ nanorods (NRs). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized composites were evaluated by the degradation of the single (RhB and MB) and mixed dye (RhB+MB) under sunlight irradiation. The results indicated that the Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite exhibits superior photocatalytic activity (98.38%) than that of individual Ag NPs and Bi₂S₃ NRs due to the synergistic effect of Ag and Bi₂S₃ nanophases in the Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite, which results in an effective charge separation, fast electron transfer from Ag to Bi₂S₃, and a low recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite also has good recycling stability up to 5 cycles and its mechanism also investigated. The evaluation of reactive species during the photocatalytic reaction was also carried out. Further, the effects of Bi₂S₃ and Ag NPs on the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the resultant Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite were also systematically investigated.