Synthesis of porous Ag/ZnCo2O4 nanosheets and their electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and antibacterial performances

ZnCo2O4 and Ag/ZnCo2O4 with different Ag contents were fabricated by calcining their precursors synthesized via a combined precipitation-hydrothermal method. The as-prepared products were characterized by TG, XRD, TEM, and FE-SEM, respectively. The resultant results exhibited that both ZnCo2O4 and Ag/ZnCo2O4 samples possessed porous and sheet-like structure. The as-synthesized samples were modified directly on the glassy carbon electrode, and their electrocatalytic performances for the reduction of p-nitrophenol in the alkaline solution were investigated. The results displayed that the electrocatalytic property of Ag/ZnCo2O4 products was higher than ZnCo2O4. Additionally, the Ag/ZnCo2O4 products with high Ag content showed higher electrocatalytic property. The photocatalytic properties of the Ag/ZnCo2O4 composite nanosheets for degrading methyl orange were investigated with assistance of H2O2 under irradiation of visible light. Ag/ZnCo2O4 composites even with a lower Ag content (2%) exhibited higher photocatalytic activity. The antibacterial activity of ZnCo2O4 and composite Ag/ZnCo2O4 nanosheets to several common Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was examined. The results demonstrated that the Ag/ZnCo2O4 composites displayed excellent activity even with a lower Ag content (2%) while ZnCo2O4 exhibited weak antibacterial activity.