Hydrothermal Synthesis of ZnO/BiOCl/RGO Heterostructure: Characterization, Antibacterial Potential and Photocatalytic Removal of Tetracycline Antibiotic

Antibiotics are one of the primary contaminants found in wastewater released by the pharmaceutical industry, and they are harmful to both humans and aquatic life. It is essential to eliminate these contaminants from water bodies using an economical yet efficient technique. The goal of the current work is to create affordable nanomaterials for the removal of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic from wastewater as well as to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E.coli) bacteria. The ZnO/BiOCl/RGO heterostructure was produced using a simple hydrothermal method, and its synthesis, structure, metal-oxygen and functional group vibrations, morphology, elemental composition, and optical absorption properties were subsequently confirmed through XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TEM, XPS, and UV-vis DRS techniques. The synthesized heterostructure was tested for the catalytic degradation of TC antibiotic, and it showed ۸۵.۹۵ % removal in ۸۰ minutes. Antibacterial potential of the heterostructure was evaluated against multiple drug-resistant bacteria. The synthesized ZnO/BiOCl/RGO exhibited a strong zone of inhibition against both bacterial strains stated here. The findings of this study strongly support the application of the synthesized heterostructure in wastewater treatment, particularly for the elimination of antibiotics and microorganisms.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antibacterial activity ، Tetracycline ، Photocatalytic degradation ، water pollution