Highly effective heterogeneous doxycycline stabilized silver nanocatalyst for the degradation of ibuprofen and paracetamol drugs

Abstract

In this work, a new doxycycline stabilized silver nanocatalyst (Dox-Ag (0) NPs) was synthesized in aqueous solution (green method) by one-pot simple synthetic method for the ultra-fast catalytic degradation of ibuprofen and paracetamol. The formation of the Dox-Ag (0) NPs was monitored using UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy which confirmed the formation of Dox-Ag (0) NPs by exciting the typical surface plasmon absorption maxima at 404 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the spherical morphology and monodispersed Dox-Ag (0) NPs with particle size 6.87 ± 2.2 nm. The newly synthesized Dox-Ag (0) NPs had an excellent catalytic activity as a catalyst for the 100% degradation of ibuprofen and paracetamol, which was carried out in 60 s. The antimicrobial activities of this catalyst were also evaluated against Gram-negative bacteria Mycoplasma hominis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus flavus and Micrococcus luteus by the disk diffusion method. Whereas standard antibiotic showed no zone of inhibition, the Dox-Ag (0) NPs showed good inhibition zone. The antimicrobial results therefore reveal that newly synthesized Dox-Ag (0) NPs had a tremendous catalytic and antimicrobial activity as a catalyst. They were recovered easily from reaction medium and reused with enhanced catalytic potential seven times. The current findings are equally extendable for safeguarding the aquatic environment against the pollution caused by drugs and microbial activity via a facile, highly economical, rapid and efficient reduction/degradation method based on the catalytic potential of Dox-Ag (0) NPs.