Synthesis of SiO2/g-C3N4/Bi2SiO5@Bi2O3 Nanohybrid: A Bifunctional Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation and Antitumor Applications

The fascinating features of nanomaterials have attracted immense interest across various fields, including nanoelectronics, magnetite-aided nanocatalysis, and nanomedicine. Herein, a 10% SiO2/g-C3N4/Bi2SiO5@Bi2O3 triple nanohybrid was formulated via a simple protocol employing acacia powder as a capping/fuel agent. The XRD confirmed the presence of g-C3N4, Bi2SiO5, Bi2O3, and SiO5 phases, and the TEM image shows densely packed, almost spherical nanoparticles of an average size of 9.2 nm. There was activity of the SiO2/g-C3N4/Bi2SiO5@Bi2O3 in the field of hydrogen generation via NaBH4 hydrolysis, and antitumor antiproliferation activity against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cells. The graphitized Bi2O3/SiO2 exhibited HGRs of 303, 615, 785, and 1740 mL min−1 g−1 at 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C, respectively. Hydrolyzing NaBH4 doses of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 at 40 °C resulted in a dramatic evolution at HGRs of 526, 785, 1786, and 4000 mL min−1 g−1, respectively. Furthermore, the g-C3N4/Bi2O3/SiO2 antiproliferative effect against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cells showed a positive impact at 3.9 and 7.9 µg/mL, with IC50 values of 82.4 and 59.6 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the maximum dose of 500 μg/mL of SiO2/g-C3N4/Bi2SiO5@Bi2O3 resulted in 93.8% inhibition of MCF-7 cells, whereas the same dose yielded 91.7% inhibition of HepG-2 cells. It is significant to note that, given the lower cost of SiO2/g-C3N4/Bi2SiO5@Bi2O3 relative to currently prescribed antitumor medications, these outcomes can be considered ideal for practical use as antitumor agents.