Enhanced Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Activity of Green Synthesized CuO/ZnO Nanocomposites Using Lagerstroemia Speciosa Flower Extract

Nowadays, water pollution is becoming a serious concern for the environment owing to the discharge of chemical pollutants, mainly consisting of different kinds of dyes from various industries. The present investigation discusses the plant-mediated synthesis of CuO/ZnO (CuZn10 and CuZn20 for 10% and 20% of CuO stoichiometry, respectively) bimetallic nanocomposites employing Lagerstroemia Speciosa flower extract and its application as a photocatalyst. The structural and optical characteristics, chemical composition, functional groups, and morphology of the synthesized CuO/ZnO bimetallic nanoparticles were investigated using XRD, UV-visible spectroscopy, EDS, SEM, FTIR, and BET techniques. The maximum absorption peaks were observed at 359 nm for CuZn20 and at 364 nm for CuZn10. The band gaps were estimated to be 2.92 eV and 2.82 eV, respectively. The comparative photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the two binary composites was evaluated for the materials. In 90 min of exposure to sunlight, the CuZn20 bimetallic nanoparticles showed better catalytic efficiency than the CuZn10 bimetallic nanoparticles against Methylene Blue (MB). Additionally, the synthesized nanocomposites showed excellent antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes and S. typhi.