Z-scheme heterojunction g-C3N4/GO/CuFe2O4 (CGC) nanocomposite: Enhanced photocatalytic, antibacterial and anticancer properties

Abstract

This study synthesized a novel heterojunction nanocomposite, copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) modified graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), and graphene oxide (GO) through a simple and cost-effective method. So, the heterojunction nanocomposite was confirmed by some techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), photoluminescence (PL), Raman analyses, etc. These analyses showed that the nanocomposite is significantly used in environmental and biomedical applications. The nanocomposite exhibits excellent properties, making it a promising candidate for environmental remediation and biomedical applications. Applying GO can facilitate the transfer of electrons and enhance the photocatalyst adsorption capacity while using CuFe2O4 enhances the separate charges. The dye degradation process attained 96.5% promising efficiency in only 60 minutes and just 5.4% degradation after 30 minutes in dark conditions, which showed excellent activity to degrade methylene blue via the Z-scheme mechanism. Also, the optimal values of some factors such as Kinetic, pH, dosage, scavenger, and dye concentration were investigated. In addition, the antibacterial activity was examined by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, which showed effective activity. The nanocomposite made the area of inhibition on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus about 13.3± 0.8 and 7.6 ± 0.3 mm, respectively, which showed an attractive antibacterial agent. According to the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium assay, the synthesized compound has no cytotoxic activity.