A simple approach for the synthesis of bi-functional p-n type ZnO@CuFe2O4 heterojunction nanocomposite for photocatalytic and antimicrobial application

Photocatalysis is the versatile process that can be applied for water treatment, environmental remediation etc. A facile sonochemical-co-precipitation technique was adopted to prepare CuFe2O4 decorated ZnO heterojunction nanocomposites (NCs). The characterization was done using UV?vis-DRS, TEM, EDAX, SAED, XRD, BET, PL and FTIR. The TEM reveals that the fabricated NCs were cubic in shape. The XRD and SAED analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of prepared NCs. The NCs band gap was determined to be 2.34 eV that facilitates enhanced performance of photocatalysis in visible region. The photocatalytic activity of NCs when irradiated with visible light was evaluated on basis of methylene blue (MB) dye degradation. The t1/2 for the degradation of 10 mg/L dye by 3 mg of NCs by photocatalysis was determined to be 77 min. The apparent rate constant of NCs was 4?5.1 times higher in NCs than CuFe2O4 and ZnO respectively. At the end of 6th recycle, the XRD pattern and NCs photocatalytic activity were retained the same as 1st that denotes the high stable nature of NCs. The results indicate the enhanced activity of fabricated NCs relative to individual ZnO and CuFe2O4 NPs. A possible photocatalysis mechanism was elucidated using charge carriers and free radicals scavengers. It was evident that ?OH radical and holes play the major role in dye degradation. The NCs acted as excellent antimicrobial agent against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Hence, the investigation reports that ZnO@CuFe2O4 NCs can be used as an efficient photocatalyst and as an antibacterial agent.

Automated summary

A facile sonochemical-co-precipitation technique was adopted to prepare CuFe2O4 decorated ZnO heterojunction nanocomposites. The NCs exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the visible region, with a fast degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) dye. Additionally, the NCs showed stable performance even after multiple recycling, and demonstrated excellent antimicrobial effects against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli.