Functional Fe₂O₃/CoO_x hybrid nanocomposites for antibiotic degradation and evaluation of anticancer effects

This work presents the synthesis of Fe₂O₃/CoO_x hybrid nanocomposites through a straightforward co-precipitation method, designed to function both as a photocatalyst for environmental remediation and as an anticancer agent. Comprehensive characterization confirmed the structural, morphological, and surface features of the materials. Under visible-light-assisted photo-Fenton conditions, the nanocomposites efficiently degraded tetracycline (TC), achieving a maximum removal of 92.13% in the presence of H₂O₂. The degradation kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model with a high correlation coefficient (R² = 0.9865). The catalyst maintained nearly 90% of its activity after four consecutive cycles, demonstrating notable stability and potential for repeated use. Investigation of TC degradation revealed key reactive sites and intermediate products, which helped elucidate the proposed reaction pathways. Beyond their environmental application, the Fe₂O₃/CoO_x nanocomposites showed marked, concentration-dependent anticancer activity against HCT-15 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 6.57 μg/mL and 7.25 μg/mL, respectively. These findings highlight the hybrid material as a versatile platform capable of effective antibiotic degradation and potent anticancer effects, suggesting its promise for integrated environmental and biomedical applications.