Efficient photocatalytic degradation of eosin blue dye and antibacterial study using nanostructured zinc oxide and nickel modified zinc oxide

This article describes the fabrication of ZnO and 5% Ni2+ modified ZnO nanocatalyst (Ni/ZnO) for the photo -catalytic degradation of eosin blue (EB) dye. To demonstrate the successful formation of nanocatalyst and study the structural and morphological aspects, as well as the chemical compositions, we employed X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The optical band gap was investigated using Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, whereas the Zn-O band was revealed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. To illustrate the optimized photocatalytic conditions for the degradation of EB dye, the parameters like initial EB dye concentration, catalyst loading, pH effect, and contact time were investigated. When compared to undoped ZnO and other reported nanocatalyst, the Ni/ZnO nanocatalyst displayed significantly better photocatalytic performance in the photocatalytic degradation of EB dye. With 0.8 g/L catalyst loading, 110 min contact period, and 8.0 pH, the photocatalytic efficiency was higher. Under optimized photocatalytic conditions, the results suggested that a Ni/ZnO nanocatalyst could be a potential nanomaterial for developing an enhanced doped nanocatalyst for EB removal. To confirm the presence of reactive oxygen species during photocatalysis, a radical scavenging experiment was performed using benzo-quinone and isopropyl alcohol scavengers. The reusability of the produced nanocatalyst for four cycles confirms its stability and efficiency over multiple cycles. Furthermore, the Ni/ZnO was found to have significant anti-bacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus.