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<p>This study investigates the sol-gel synthesis and multifunctional properties of a CuO@α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite (NC) along with its pristine nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed crystallite sizes (CS) of 36.17 nm and 42.23 nm for CuO and α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NPs, respectively, while the NC showed a reduced CS of 17.27 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed Cu–O and Fe–O bonding and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identified Cu<sup>2+</sup>, Fe<sup>3+</sup> and O<sup>2−</sup> states. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) showed intermediate magnetic behavior with coercivity (Hc) of ~110 Oe and remanence (Mr) of ~0.006 emu/g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a well-dispersed morphology of the constituent NPs and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) exhibited a redshift with a narrowed bandgap (E<sub>g</sub>) value of 1.12 eV. The NC achieved 92.82% crystal violet (CV) dye degradation at pH 3 ± 0.1 with a rate constant (k<sub>obs</sub>) of 0.0305 min<sup>−1</sup>, increasing to 98.17% at pH 9 ± 0.1 (k<sub>obs</sub> = 0.05623 min<sup>−1</sup>), using 20 mg catalyst per 100 mL. Stability tests confirmed structural retention over five reuse cycles. A p-CuO@α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/n-Si photodiode showed high photosensitivity (P<sub>s</sub>) of 667.89%, responsivity (R) of 527.70 mA/W, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 231.58% and detectivity (D*) of 3.27 × 10<sup>12</sup> Jones. The NC also demonstrated antimicrobial activity against <i>S. aureus</i>, <i>E. coli</i> and <i>C. albicans</i>, with inhibition zones up to 17 mm and low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62 mg/L, while maintaining minimal cytotoxicity (≤250 µg/mL). These results highlight CuO@α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NC potential for advanced photocatalysis, optoelectronics and antimicrobial applications.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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CuO@α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite via one-pot synthesis for multifunctional photocatalytic, optoelectronic and antimicrobial applications

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月1日

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  • Elumalai Arulkumar,
  • R. Kalpana Manivannan,
  • Gopinath Dhamodaran,
  • Ramesh Krishnan

摘要

This study investigates the sol-gel synthesis and multifunctional properties of a CuO@α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite (NC) along with its pristine nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed crystallite sizes (CS) of 36.17 nm and 42.23 nm for CuO and α-Fe2O3 NPs, respectively, while the NC showed a reduced CS of 17.27 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed Cu–O and Fe–O bonding and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identified Cu2+, Fe3+ and O2− states. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) showed intermediate magnetic behavior with coercivity (Hc) of ~110 Oe and remanence (Mr) of ~0.006 emu/g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a well-dispersed morphology of the constituent NPs and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) exhibited a redshift with a narrowed bandgap (Eg) value of 1.12 eV. The NC achieved 92.82% crystal violet (CV) dye degradation at pH 3 ± 0.1 with a rate constant (kobs) of 0.0305 min−1, increasing to 98.17% at pH 9 ± 0.1 (kobs = 0.05623 min−1), using 20 mg catalyst per 100 mL. Stability tests confirmed structural retention over five reuse cycles. A p-CuO@α-Fe2O3/n-Si photodiode showed high photosensitivity (Ps) of 667.89%, responsivity (R) of 527.70 mA/W, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 231.58% and detectivity (D*) of 3.27 × 1012 Jones. The NC also demonstrated antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans, with inhibition zones up to 17 mm and low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62 mg/L, while maintaining minimal cytotoxicity (≤250 µg/mL). These results highlight CuO@α-Fe2O3 NC potential for advanced photocatalysis, optoelectronics and antimicrobial applications.

Graphical Abstract