Ag@Ca-MOF composite: a dual-function material for luminescence detection and dose reliant photocatalytic breakdown of Bisphenol A

Abstract

In this study, we report the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of a new calcium-based metal–organic framework, {[Ca(Cei)(H₂O)₂]·3H₂O}_n (Ca-MOF), using bis(2-carboxyethyl)isocyanurate (H₂Cei) as the organic linker. The Ca-MOF and its silver-doped derivative (Ag@Ca-MOF) were characterized in detail using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which confirmed the successful incorporation of silver ions. Photocatalytic studies revealed that Ag@Ca-MOF-2 exhibited superior degradation efficiency for Bisphenol A (BPA) under visible light (92.81%) compared to the undoped Ca-MOF (37.52%). Antimicrobial assays demonstrated enhanced activity of Ag@Ca-MOF-2, achieving minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of ≤128 mg L⁻¹ against Staphylococcus aureus and a MIC of ≤128 mg L⁻¹ and MBC of ≤256 mg L⁻¹ against Escherichia coli, surpassing the Ca-MOF, which showed MIC and MBC values of ≤256 mg L⁻¹ and ≤512 mg L⁻¹, respectively, for both bacterial strains. Additionally, Ag@Ca-MOF-2 displayed an enhanced antioxidant capacity in the DPPH radical scavenging assay relative to the parent MOF. Furthermore, Ag@Ca-MOF-2 demonstrated a detection limit of 1.164 ppm for BPA in aqueous media, underscoring its potential as a multifunctional material with promising applications in environmental remediation and biomedical contaminant detection.