Synthesis and characterization of Cu-rGO/ZnO nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of bromophenol blue and antibacterial activity

Herein, Cu-rGO/ZnO ternary nanocomposite powder was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis), Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study morphology and structural properties of the obtained nanocomposite. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized Cu-rGO/ZnO ternary nanocomposite was assessed by the degradation of bromophenol blue in aqueous media (pH 7.4). The photocatalytic results demonstrated that the Cu-rGO/ZnO ternary nanocomposite photocatalyst (0.1 g/L) exhibited 86.21% degradation of 10 ppm bromophenol blue dye at 150 min by using the Xe arc lamps, 20 W (with ultraviolet cut-off filter). Band gap widening by Cu doping and efficient electron hole separation induced by rGO were responsible for enhanced photocatalytic activity. The antibacterial test results revealed that the Cu-rGO/ZnO nanocomposite exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.