Plasmonic metallic silver induced Bi2WO6/TiO2 ternary junction towards the photocatalytic, electrochemical OER/HER, antibacterial and sensing applications

Highlights: • Plasmonic metal-induced Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂ ternary composite was synthesized via a hydrothermal and chemical reduction route. • Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-Ag (BWTA) specimens exhibited a tremendous catalytic activity for Rhodamine B photodegradation. • BWTA specimens exhibited enhanced oxygen (OER) and hydrogen (HER) evolution reactions. • Electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA) was performed through cyclic voltammetry. • The antibacterial potential of the specimens was explored against Escherichia coli (E.coli) The plasmonic metal-induced Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂ ternary composite with unique electronic and structural properties was synthesized via a hydrothermal and chemical reduction route for sustainable energy and environmental remediation. The obtained Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-Ag (BWTA) exhibited a tremendous catalytic activity for Rhodamine B photodegradation (0.947 × 10^-2 min⁻¹) than those of sole TiO₂ and Bi₂WO₆ specimens. The radical trapping experiment discloses that superoxide ^.O₂⁻ and holes (h⁺) are the cardinal active species in the photocatalytic system. Further, recycling experiment was conducted to elucidate the stability of the photocatalyst. BWTA_2.0 was able to produce 2.1330 mA/cm² of current density for oxygen evolution reaction and −1.5003 mA/cm² for hydrogen evolution reaction, which is much higher than those of other specimens. Besides, electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA) was performed through cyclic voltammetry; results showed that the ternary composite had better electrocatalytic activity for DA detection owing to the synergistic effects of noble metal incorporation into the semiconductor. Also, the antibacterial potential of the specimens was explored against Escherichia coli through the well-diffusion method. In terms of experimental results, a possible mechanism of ternary composite is thoroughly elucidated. Thus, this work validates that, plasmonic induced ternary composite has a great prospect for photocatalytic, electrochemical, sensing, and antibacterial applications.