Efficient Samarium-Grafted-C(3)N(4)-Doped α-MoO(3) Used as a Dye Degrader and Antibacterial Agent: In Silico Molecular Docking Study

[Image: see text] This study was used to evaluate the catalytic activity (CA) and bactericidal activity of α-MoO(3) and Sm-g-C(3)N(4)-doped α-MoO(3) composites prepared through an efficient, cost-effective coprecipitation route. Their characteristic studies verify the formation of α-MoO(3) and its composites (3, 6, and 9 mL Sm-g-C(3)N(4)-doped α-MoO(3)), which showed high crystallinity, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The production of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals due to charge transfer through α-MoO(3) and g-C(3)N(4) eventually forms electrons in g-C(3)N(4) and holes around α-MoO(3). CA against Rhodamine B (RhB) in basic medium provides maximum results compared to acidic and neutral media. The bactericidal efficacy of the (9 mL) doped sample represents a greater inhibition zone of 6.10 mm against the negative bacterial strain Escherichia coli. Furthermore, in silico studies showed that the generated nanorods may inhibit DNA gyrase and dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) enzymes.