Titanium doped cobalt ferrite fabricated graphene oxide nanocomposite for efficient photocatalytic and antibacterial...

Dyes and microbes are the main sources of water pollution and their treatment with titanium doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoTi_xFe_2-xO₄ NPs) is highly challenging due to the recombination ability of their electron-hole pairs which could be mitigated by making their composite with graphene oxide (GO). In the present study, titanium doped cobalt ferrite was fabricated on GO (CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O₄/GO NC) via the facile ultrasonication method and its confirmation was done by various analytical studies. Homogeneous dispersion of spherical CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O₄ NPs on the GO surface was realized by SEM analysis. Excellent crystallinity was corroborated by XRD while a Zeta Potential value -21.52 mV depicted exceptional stability. The photocatalytic power of CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O/GO NC against Congo Red (CR) dye showed 91% degradation efficiency after 120 min visible light irradiation under optimum conditions of pH 9 and dye concentration 1 mg L^-1 which was reasonably higher as compared to bare CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O NPs (78% degradation efficiency). The improved photocatalytic performance is accredited to its narrow bandgap value (1.07 eV) and enhanced charge separation as indicated by the Tauc plot and Photoluminescence analysis, respectively. Additionally, CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O/GO NC could be readily regenerated and reused five times with only ∼2% performance loss. Meanwhile, MICs of CoTi_0.2Fe_1.8O₄/GO NC against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were 0.046 and 0.093 mg mL^-1 while MBCs were 0.093 and 0.187 mg mL^-1, respectively. Thereby, optimized NC can open new avenues for the degradation of dyes from polluted water besides acting as a promising antimicrobial agent by rupturing the cell walls of pathogens.