Synthesis and characterization of highly efficient Te-doped Mn3O4 and s-g-C3N4/Te- Mn3O4 nanocomposites as an excellent antimicrobial and photocatalytic agent

This work aims to synthesize manganese oxide nanoparticles (Mn3O4NPs) using a co-precipitation method and analyzed them through XRD, SEM and FT-IR. The XRD analysis confirmed the tetragonal hausmanite structure of the Mn3O4 NPs, while SEM revealed an average particle size of 9-20 nm. Kinetic studies demonstrated the efficient photooxidation of methylene blue with first-order kinetics under UV or visible light. Degradation efficiencies varied between 82% and 93% depending on the light source. Furthermore, we used the zone inhibition approach to assess the antibacterial potency of various Mn3O4 NP contents alongside human pathogenic bacteria, namely Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results of the qualitative antibacterial tests revealed that E. coli, a Gram-negative bacterium, is more sensitive to Mn3O4 NPs than are Gram-positive bacteria, with a maximum zone diameter of 28 mm (S. aureus). Alternatively, it was determined that S-g-C3N4/Te-Mn2O3 had the maximum antifungal activity against Alternaria solani at 28.9 mm and against. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides at 47.3 mm.