Triplet Cu2O/MOF-2/MMT nanocomposite: Antibacterial and photocatalyst agent

Compositing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with clays are highly desirable, as it can lead to improved textural characteristics compared to the original framework. Herein, we report the simple room-temperature precipitation technique for synthesizing a novel visible-light-driven Cu2O/MOF-2/MMT nanocomposite. The synthesized materials were structurally and compositely characterized by diverse techniques, including FT-IR, PXRD, FESEM/mapping, TEM, TGA, UV-DRS, and BET analysis. Subsequently, their photodegradation capa-bility against Congo red (a model of water organic-contaminant) and antibacterial activity were studied. The band gap for Cu2O-modified MOF-2/MMT nanoporous structure was estimated to be 2.1 eV applying the Tauc plot, which considerably improved the light-harvesting capacity. About 69.28% photodegradation of Congo red (12.5 mg/L, pH 7) was achieved with Cu2O/MOF-2/MMT nanocomposite after 45 min of visible light illumi-nation. Together with the enhanced photocatalytic property, the Cu2O-modified MOF-2/MMT represented an improved antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria than virgin nanocomposite. Overall, the intro-duced material seems to be an efficient photocatalyst for water purification and disinfection.

Automated summary

A simple room-temperature precipitation technique was used to synthesize a novel visible-light-driven Cu2O/MOF-2/MMT nanocomposite. The material was characterized structurally and compositionally, and its photodegradation and antibacterial properties were studied. The introduced material shows efficient photocatalytic performance for water purification and disinfection.