Silver nanoparticle-decorated cellulose beads: Eco-friendly catalysts for efficient 4-nitrophenol reduction and antibacterial performance.

This study presents an innovative and environmentally friendly method to produce fibrous cellulose beads by mechanically stirring natural fibers in an aqueous medium. Date palm fibers are transformed into uniform beads with a diameter of 1.5 to 2 mm through chemical treatment and mechanical agitation.

Recent progress on Ag/TiO photocatalysts: photocatalytic and bactericidal behaviors.

For many decades, titanium dioxide (TiO) semiconductor has been extensively applied in several environmental applications due to its higher photocatalytic performances toward different organic pollutants, pharmaceutical compounds, and bacteria. However, its shortfall response to visible light, and the expeditious recombination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, hampers its utilization. Doping TiO semiconductor with silver nanoparticles is a sound strategy to (1) extend its photocatalytic activity to visible light, (2) prevent the electron/holes pairs recombination due to the formation of the Schottky barrier at the interfaces with TiO that act as an electron-trapping center, and (3) enhance its bactericide performances.