Preparation of Ag Nanoclusters-Modified Non-Sintered Silica Ceramic-Like Nanosheet for Removing Dyes and Bacteria from Water

PURPOSE: Worldwide water contamination treatment and water security are essential for all living organisms. Among various water contaminants, dye, and bacteria pollution needs to be solved urgently. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this work, a ceramic sheet from monodisperse, porous silica nanospheres (SiO(2) NSs) with an average diameter of 220 was prepared. The prepared SiO(2) ceramic sheets were investigated as a “filtration” material in removing dyes (alcian blue, AB; and methylene blue, MB) and bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus). The obtained sheets had efficient adsorption efficiency of 98.72% (for AB) and 97.35% (for MB), and a high adsorption capacity for AB is 220 (mg/g), for MB is 176 (mg/g). Furthermore, these SiO(2) ceramic sheets had a high recycling capability for removing dyes by calcination. Being modified by Ag nanoclusters, the ceramic sheets present a strong bactericidal function. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the obtained SiO(2) non-sintered ceramic sheets is rapid and efficient in the filtration of dyes and bacteria from polluted water.