V 550 uv vis

The morphologies of Ag-doped TiO₂ and Ag-core TiO₂ were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM; JEM-2100, JEOL, Tokyo, Japan). Absorption spectra of Ag-doped TiO₂ and Ag-core TiO₂ were recorded using an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer (V-550 UV/VIS, JASCO, Tokyo, Japan). X-ray diffraction was conducted using an X-ray diffractometer (XPert Powder, PANalytical B.V. Netherlands). An energy dispersive spectrometer was used to observe the distribution pattern of various elements (Ag, Ti, and O) using TEM-EDS (JEM-2100 Plus, JEOL Ltd., Japan), operating with an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The photocatalytic capability of Ag-doped TiO₂ (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and Ag-core TiO₂ (5 nm, 10 nm, 15 nm, and 20 nm) were evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under a simulated sunlight Xenon lamp with an emission spectral range of 380 nm to 700 nm. The irradiation time was 10 min at 665 nm. The absorption intensity was recorded using an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer (V-550 UV/VIS, JASCO, Tokyo, Japan).

The UV/Vis measurements were done using a JASCO V-550 UV/Vis (JASCO International Co. Ltd, Sapporo, Japan) spectrophotometer in the wavenumber range 300–600 nm, using a tungsten lamp and a 0.1 nm resolution, operating in the absorption mode.

NMR, UV, and IR spectra were obtained using Bruker AV-600 (Bruker; Ettlingen, Germany), JASCO V-550 UV-VIS (Jasco; Tokyo, Japan), and JASCO FT/IR-480 plus FT-IR spectrometers (Jasco; Tokyo, Japan), respectively. LC-QTOF-MS data were generated using a Shimadzu LC-20AD liquid chromatogram (Shimadzu; Kyoto, Japan) and an AB SCIEX X500R QTOF mass spectrometer (AB SCIEX; Framingham, MA, USA). The MTT reagent was obtained from Keygen Biotech located in Nanjing, China. The PI reagent was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich^®, (St. Louis, MO, USA). The RNase A reagent was procured from Fermentas^® (Shanghai, China). Detailed instruments and chemicals are provided in the Supporting Information.