Assessment of solar light sensitive Chitosan integrated CeO2-CuO ternary composites for the efficient degradation of Malachite Green, Acid Blue 113 dyes and microbial studies

Abstract

Ternary chitosan integrated CeO2-CuO composites were prepared via a facile co-precipitation technique and thoroughly characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Thermo gravimetric analysis, Scanning emission microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy. The composite with 10 wt% CeO2-CuO on chitosan exhibited the highest efficiency of 92 % and 91 % in degrading malachite green (MG) and acid blue 113 (AB 113) respectively. This composite demonstrated efficient generation of electron-hole pairs, minimized recombination rates and facilitated rapid dye degradation under solar light illumination. Additionally, the composites displayed effective antibacterial activity against Serratia marcescens and Bacillus subtilis at a concentration of 100 µl, and exhibited promising anti-fungal activities against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. These findings suggest the potential of these composites for efficient dye degradation and demonstrate their promising antimicrobial properties, offering possibilities for diverse environmental and biomedical applications.