Photocatalytic and antibacterial activityof CuO nanoparticles biosynthesized using Verbascum thapsus leaves extract

CuO nanoparticles (NPs) were biosynthesized using Verbascum thapsus extract and its antibacterial and photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB) dye studied. Characterization results of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) methods indicate that they were made of crystalline monoclinic CuO phase with spherical morphology. The NPs photodegraded MB by 94.6 % and 99.3 % in the presence of NaOH and H2O2 , respectively, at an average environmental temperature of 28 degrees C. While hardly any degradation is observed in dark room, more than 96 % of the dye is photodegraded by adding a small amount of alkali and oxidant without any catalyst loading, indicating the importance of sunlight in the degradation of the dye. Moreover, the NPs inhibited the growth of both Gram-positive staphylococcus aureus and the drug resistant Gramnegative Escherichia coll. bacterial strains.