Ag₃PO₄Nanoparticles-Decorated Melamine-Formaldehyde Polymer Nanocomposite as a Catalyst for the Photodegradation of Bisphenol A and its Antibacterial Activity

A melamine-formaldehyde polymer (MFP)-based nanocomposite decorated with silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) nanoparticles, named Ag3PO4-MFP, was fabricated. The as-synthesized Ag3PO4-MFP nanocomposite was used for the sunlight-promoted photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA), a colorless endocrine disruptor. Kinetic studies were performed to examine the photocatalytic efficiency of the Ag3PO4-MFP nanocomposite under dark (control set), bulb light, and sunlight conditions, and the efficiency of photodegradation under sunlight was found to be higher. Ag3PO4-MFP shows faster photodegradation of BPA with 97% removal efficiency with short half-life value of similar to 10.6 min, representing a significant influence of sunlight. To understand the plausible mechanism, radical-scavenging experiments were performed that suggest the involvement of holes (h(+)), which further generate hydroxyl radicals during the process of photodegradation and are responsible for the degradation of BPA. The photodegradation of BPA was confirmed by comparative proton nuclear magnetic resonance and total organic carbon analysis. For practical applicability, we extended our photodegradation experiment using Ag3PO4-MFP to externally spiked samples of BPA in different industrial wastewater samples and observed >70% BPA removal. Moreover, the concentration-dependent antibacterial activity of Ag3PO4-MFP was performed on two bacterial strains, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, where the nanocomposite shows effective antibacterial activity.