Fabrication of a Ternary Nanocomposite g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>/Cu@CdS with Superior Charge Separation for Removal of Organic Pollutants and Bacterial Disinfection from Wastewater under Sunlight Illumination
Malik Imran Afzal,
Sammia Shahid,
Sana Mansoor,
Mohsin Javed,
Shahid Iqbal,
Othman Hakami,
El Sayed Yousef,
Foziah F. Al-Fawzan,
Eslam B. Elkaeed,
Rami Adel Pashameah,
Eman Alzahrani,
Abd-ElAziem Farouk
Affiliations
Malik Imran Afzal
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Sammia Shahid
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Sana Mansoor
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Mohsin Javed
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Shahid Iqbal
Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences (SNS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad 46000, Pakistan
Othman Hakami
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
El Sayed Yousef
Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
Foziah F. Al-Fawzan
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Eslam B. Elkaeed
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
Rami Adel Pashameah
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24230, Saudi Arabia
Eman Alzahrani
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Abd-ElAziem Farouk
Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
The synthesis of a photo-catalyst with a narrow bandgap and efficient capability to degrade contaminants in the presence of sunlight is currently challenging but exciting. In this work, an efficient photocatalytic ternary nanocomposite g-C3N4/Cu@CdS has been synthesized successfully by using the co-precipitation method. The synthesized composite was then characterized by SEM, XRD studies, EDX analysis, and ultra-violet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. The catalytic efficiency for the methylene blue (MB) dye and drug degradation (ciprofloxacin) was assessed by UV-visible absorption spectra. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were used to test the fabrication composite’s antibacterial properties. Various compositions (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9%) of/Cu@CdS nanocomposite (NCs) and 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of g-C3N4 NCs were prepared. Results reveal that 5%Cu@CdS and 40%g-C3N45%Cu@CdS showed maximum antibacterial activity and photocatalytic degradation of dye and drug. The X-ray pattern showed no remarkable change in doped and pristine CdS nanoparticles (NPs). The efficient photocatalytic degradation activity of the fabricated ternary nanocomposite against MB dye and ciprofloxacin an antibiotic drug makes it a viable contender for solving environmental problems.
