Singlet oxygen formation in bio-inspired synthesis of a hollow Ag@AgBr photocatalyst for microbial and chemical decontamination

Abstract

Hollow Ag@AgBr nanospheres were prepared using a greener version of a microbial process starting with AgCl colloid formation in a yeast extract (YE) and peptone solution. The Kirkendall effect has been exploited to obtain the unique Ag@AgBr heterostructures for excellent solar light-induced oxidizing properties against both microbial and chemical contaminants. Singlet oxygen generation was confirmed by electron spin resonance studies.