Novel Core-Sheath Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 Nanocomposites with High-Efficiency Chlorine-Resistant Bacteria Sterilization and Trichloroacetic Acid Degradation Performance

In order to solve two issues of chlorine-resistant bacteria (CRB) and disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in tap water after the chlorine-containing treatment process, an innovative core-sheath nanostructured Cu/Cu2O- ZnO-Fe3O4 was designed and synthesized. The fabrication mechanism of the materials was then systematically analyzed to determine the component and valence state. The properties of CRB inactivation together with trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) photodegradation by Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 were investigated in detail. It was found that Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 displayed excellent antibacterial activity with a relatively low cytotoxicity concentration due to its synergism of nanowire structure, ion release, and reactive oxygen species generation. Furthermore, the Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite also exhibited outstanding photocatalytic degradation activity on TCAA under simulated sunlight irradiation, which was verified to be dominated by the surface reaction through kinetic analysis. More interestingly, the cell growth rate of Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 was determined to be 50% and 10% higher than those of Cu/Cu2O and Cu/Cu2O-ZnO after 10 h incubation, respectively, manifesting a weaker cytotoxicity. Therefore, the designed Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 could be a promising agent for tap water treatment.

Automated summary

The designed and synthesized Cu/Cu2O-ZnO-Fe3O4 nanostructure showed excellent antibacterial activity and photocatalytic degradation performance for tap water treatment, demonstrating its potential application.