Ultraviolet light driven photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity of activated carbon-zirconium doped α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites

This study confidently explores the production of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles, Zirconium (Zr)-dopedα-Fe2O3, and Activated Carbon (AC)-Zirconium doped α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites through a precipitation method. The products underwent thorough structural, optical, and morphological analyses. XRD structural analysis revealed that the α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles had a rhombohedral phase. The band gap energies of α-Fe2O3, Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 and AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 are 1.91, 1.86, and 1.73 eV, respectively, indicating the enhanced efficiency of the nanocomposites. The SEM image of AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite showed irregular shapes with aggregated and randomly distributed particles, while the HR-TEM image showed an irregular spherical shape with an average size of ~ 41.91 nm. The photodegradation response of Rhodamine 6G dye under ultraviolet light irradiation was tested for the bare α-Fe2O3, Zr-doped α-Fe2O3, and AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 catalysts. After 90 min of irradiation, the photodegradation ability of the bare α-Fe2O3, Zr-doped α-Fe2O3, and AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 catalysts increased to 65.43%, 66.43%, and 77.98%, respectively, indicating the superior performance of the AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. The study also confidently investigated the antibacterial effects of the samples on ten bacterial species, revealing that the AC-Zr-doped α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite had the most enhanced inhibitory effects against gram-positive B. subtilis (25.1 ± 1.16) and S. aureus (21.2 ± 1.63). These findings demonstrate the great potential of these nanocomposites in various practical applications.