Quasi‐Aligned Ag–Nb ₂ O ₅ Nanobelt Arrays with Enhanced Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Activities

Quasi‐aligned Nb 2 O 5 nanobelt arrays 300–500 nm wide, 20–40 nm thick, and 5–10 μm long are fabricated directly on a Nb foil using a hydrothermal reaction in a KOH solution followed by protonation and calcination treatment. The morphology of the quasi‐aligned nanobelts established during the hydrothermal growth of the KNb 3 O 8 nanobelts is preserved after the ion exchange process which converts the products to H 3 ONb 3 O 8 , and Nb 2 O 5 is produced eventually by calcination. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized Nb 2 O 5 nanobelts is evaluated for the first time. The Nb 2 O 5 nanobelts are further functionalized using Ag nanoparticles to form heterostructured Ag–Nb 2 O 5 nanobelts by immersion in a AgNO 3 solution followed by UV (ultra‐violet) light illumination. The heterostructured Ag–Nb 2 O 5 nanobelts consisting of Nb 2 O 5 nanobelts and Ag nanoparticles exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity and can decompose dye pollutants more rapidly and efficiently because Ag nanoparticles on the Nb 2 O 5 surface can serve as electron sinks which promote charge separation between the photogenerated electrons ( e − ) and holes ( h + ). In addition, the composite photocatalyst exhibits excellent antibacterial activities against both Escherichia coli (gram‐negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram‐positive) and is potentially useful in photodegradation of organic dye pollutants and antibacterial applications.