Fabrication of heterogeneous CuO/ZnO nanocomposite immobilized Cu and Ni tubular films through pulse electrodeposition having enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial performance

In this work, we report the fabrication of Ni and Cu tubular substrates and the synthesis of ZnO/CuO nanocomposite on them through the economical process of pulse electrodeposition. The systematic variation of CuO incorporation in the ZnO matrix and the processing technique has been seen to affect the structural, optical, photocatalytic, and antibacterial properties which are well in accordance with the Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope, X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy and UV-Differential reflectance spectroscopy results. The remediation capabilities of the photocatalytic substrates were assessed through the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) dye under solar irradiation. Optimized CuO incorporation within the ZnO nanorods resulted in the degradation of 20 ppm of MB dye within 40 minutes and a higher concentration of 50 ppm within 95 mins. The Ni and Cu electroformed tubes not only provide a reusable supporting frame but also a large surface area for the growth of CuO/ZnO nanocomposite. The present study also deals with the anti-bacterial efficacy of the above-mentioned substrates against E.coli. Hence, the Ni and Cu tubular thin lm substrates with nanorods of ZnO/CuO composite have been explored for the removal of organic as well as biological contaminants from wastewater.