In the present study,
Mo-BiVO4-loaded and metal oxide
(MO: Ag2Ox, CoOx, and CuOx)-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts were synthesized using
a wet impregnation method and applied for microbial inactivation (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus
aureus) and orange II dye degradation under visible-light
(VL) conditions (λ ≥ 420 nm). The amount of MO cocatalysts
loaded onto the surface of the Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts
was effectively controlled by varying their weight percentages (i.e.,
1–3 wt %). Among the pure Mo-BiVO4, Ag2Ox-, CoOx-, and CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts used in bacterial E. coli and S. aureus inactivation under
VL irradiation, the 2 wt % CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalyst showed the highest degradation efficiency of E. coli (97%) and S. aureus (99%). Additionally, the maximum orange II dye degradation efficiency
(80.2%) was achieved over the CuOx (2 wt %)-loaded Mo-BiVO4 photocatalysts after 5 h of radiation. The bacterial inactivation
results also suggested that the CuO
x
-loaded
Mo-BiVO4 nanostructure has significantly improved antimicrobial
ability as compared to CuOx/BiVO4. The enhancement
of the inactivation performance of CuOx-loaded Mo-BiVO4 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Mo doping
and Cu2+ ions in CuOx, which further acted as
an electron trap on the surface of Mo-BiVO4 and promoted
fast transfer and separation of the photoelectron (e–)/hole (h+) pairs for growth of reactive oxygen species
(ROS). Furthermore, during the bacterial inactivation process, the
ROS can disrupt the plasma membrane and destroy metabolic pathways,
leading to bacterial cell death. Therefore, we provide a novel idea
for visible-light-activated photocatalytic antibacterial approach
for future disinfection applications.