Abstract
Indium-doped titanium oxide (In-TiO2) anatase nanostructure with macro- and microporosity was synthesized by green method using aqueous plant waste extract as bio-template and ultrasonic waves instead of hazardous chemicals and solvents and energy consuming method. The efficiency of the as-synthesized green nanoparticles has been tested for degradation of organic pollutants and against gram-negative Escherichia Coli Bacteria (E-Coli). Upon indium doping, the photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue (MB), phenol and Pb2+ reduction was improved compared with pure TiO2. The improvement of photocatalytic activity of In-doped samples is attributed to combined effect of doping for charge carrier separation as well as due to macro-/microporosity for effective charge transfer. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of In-TiO2 nanoparticles against E-Coli reached 100% as compared to 99.1% for pure TiO2. The enhancement of the antibacterial activity is associated with increasing negative zeta potential of In-doped samples (up to - 29.3 mV) compared with less negative value of the undoped TiO2 nanoparticles (- 9.85 mV). This effect is mainly due to increasing surface hydroxyl group. This work represents eco-friendly method to produce efficient photocatalyst and antimicrobial agent for water treatment.