Versatile Ag2O and ZnO nanomaterials fabricated via annealed Ag-PMOS and ZnO-PMOS: An efficient photocatalysis tool for azo dyes

[Display omitted] •Preparation of Ag2O and ZnO photocatalysts by annealing of Ag-PMOS and ZnO-PMOS.•Photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) azo dyes from water.•Ag2O and ZnO showed 93%, 88 % MB degradations whereas 89%, 73% MO reductions under visible-light. Numerous semiconductor based photocatalysts have been synthesized but most of them are unable to perform under ordinary light conditions. Herein, we successfully prepared photocatalysts comprising silver and zinc nano oxides (MxOy = Ag2O and ZnO) obtained by annealing silver and zinc supported periodic mesoporous organosilicates (Ag-PMOS and ZnO-PMOS). MxOy proved to be influential photocatalysts for the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) azo dyes from water. After removing organic contents from the parent Ag-PMOS and ZnO-PMOS, the nano Ag2O and ZnO showed 93% and 88 % MB degradations whereas 89% and 73% MO reductions under visible-light. MxOy showed improved photo-degradation competences relative to Ag-PMOS (MB = 81%, MO = 48%) and ZnO-PMOS (MB = 47%, MO = 57%). The efficient results were recovered by recycling of MxOy and exhibited appreciable photo-degradation (MB = 90, 87, 85, and 83% MO = 89, 85, 83 and 80% by Ag2O while MB = 83, 71, 64, and 56% MO = 71, 68, 65 and 60% by ZnO), which pointed towards definite durability of studied nano oxides. The observed exciting consequences favored to these nano oxides as an excellent semiconducting source of electrons for photocatalysis.