Dynamic Ag-mediated Electron Transfer Confined ZnO Nanorods for Boosted Photocatalytic Bacterial Disinfection

Infectious diseases, particularly bacterial infections, pose a global crisis with significant impacts on public health and economic stability due to the emergence of multi -drug resistance and limitations in existing therapeutic options. The present study focused on the development of photocatalytic disinfectant and silver -decorated hexagonal zinc oxide nanorods (Ag/ZnO NRs) were fabricated through an ultrasonic -assisted solvothermal method, and investigated for the photocatalytic inactivation on E. coli. The morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of the fabricated Ag/ZnO NRs were systematically studied through various analytical techniques. Here, 3%Ag/ZnO NRs showed 96.9% inactivation of E. coli within 120 min of visible light irradiation. The excellent inactivation efficiency of the photocatalyst could be attributed to the higher charge carrier mobility, efficient electron -hole pair separation, and highvisible light harvesting ability. The Schottky heterojunction was proposed as a possible mechanism for the photoinactivation of E. coli . Further, the impacts of different dosages of nanocomposites (NCs) and varying pH on bacterial inactivation were studied under visible light exposure. The reusability and stability of the NCs were investigatedfor 6 consecutive cycles of photoinactivation and it showed excellent efficiency (91.16%) of the photocatalyst for prolonged usage. The real-time application was assessed using reclaimed wastewaterand the influence on the organic matter was determined using COD analysis. The proposed study offers a significant point reference for the practical application of photocatalysis forthe inactivation of antibiotic -resistant microbes present in water bodies and environmental wastewater.