Enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial performance of a multifunctional Cu-loaded nanocomposite under UV light: theoretical and experimental study.

Due to modern industrialization and population growth, access to clean water has become a global challenge. In this study, a metal-semiconductor heterojunction was constructed between Cu NPs and the Co 0.5 Ni 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 /SiO 2 /TiO 2 composite matrix for the photodegradation of potassium permanganate, hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) and p -nitroaniline (pNA) under UV light. In addition, the electronic and adsorption properties after Cu loading were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, the antimicrobial properties of the prepared samples toward pathogenic bacteria and unicellular fungi were investigated. Photocatalytic measurements show the outstanding efficiency of the Cu-loaded nanocomposite compared to that of bare Cu NPs and the composite matrix. Degradation efficiencies of 44% after 80 min, 100% after 60 min, and 65% after 90 min were obtained against potassium permanganate, Cr(VI), and pNA, respectively. Similarly, the antimicrobial evaluation showed high ZOI, lower MIC, higher protein leakage amount, and cell lysis of nearly all microbes treated with the Cu-loaded nanocomposite.