Green synthesis of Ag/CuO and Ag/ [formula omitted] nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic dye degradation, antibacterial, and antifungal properties

Abstract

In the context of synthesizing metal doped metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), green synthesis emerges as a reliable, sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and exceptional alternative to the more efficient and conventional chemical methods. In this study, we explored the co-precipitation method performed for the Caesalpinia pulcherrima (C.pulcherrima) flower extract high percentage of hydroxyl functional groups on terpenoid derivatives, reducing and encapsulating agents, and the stability of the Ag/CuO and Ag/ TiO2 NPs. The XRD patterns provided evidence of the highly crystalline structure of monoclinic CuO, tetragonal crystal structure, and face-centered cubic Ag metal, obtained to improve the nanosized 6 and 8 nm, which structural defects in the synthesis materials were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), as well as by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyze. The existence of Ag ions (Ag+), Ti4+ ions, and Cu2+ ions in CuO and TiO2 caused the reduction of carbonyl and hydroxide functional groups, thereby facilitating the efficient formation of nanostructures, as demonstrated by XPS and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The band gap analysis of Ag/CuO and Ag/TiO2 NPs revealed that they increased the catalytic activity of methylene blue (MB) dye degradation efficiency achieved by 86 and 94 %, respectively. Comparatively, Ag doped with CuO and TiO2 has a synergistic effect leading to in highly effective antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa and E. coli infections.