The 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde modified polyvinyl alcohol composite nanofibers loaded with Ag-TiO2: Photocatalytic and antibacterial properties for water pollution remediation

Silver-doped titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO 2 ) demonstrates superior photocatalytic degradation capabilities, making it an ideal material for eliminating organic dyes. In this study, a nanofiber material exhibiting both high-efficiency photocatalytic degradation performance and antibacterial activity was successfully fabricated as polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers modified with protocatechualdehyde and loaded with silver-modified titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO 2 /DPVA NFs). The heterojunction structure of Ag-TiO 2 significantly broadens the visible light absorption range of TiO 2 (from 200 to 350 nm to 200–800 nm). Experimental results indicate that under visible light irradiation, Ag-TiO 2 /DPVA NFs achieved an 89 % degradation rate of Rhodamine B (Rh B) within 6 h (with C/C 0 reduced to 0.11), which is significantly superior to TiO 2 /DPVA NFs. Moreover, Ag-TiO 2 /DPVA NFs exhibited antibacterial rates of 99.1 % against Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) and 98.3 % against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), demonstrating excellent antibacterial performance. Ultimately, the obtained Ag-TiO 2 /DPVA nanofibers demonstrate great potential for simultaneously achieving photocatalytic and antibacterial applications in the field of applications in water remediation.