Bio-inspired synthesis of Cm-Ag/NiO nanocomposites: Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of textile dyes

[Display omitted] •Cucumis maderaspatanus L. leaf extract enabled eco-friendly synthesis of Cm-Ag/NiO nanocomposites.•Calcination from 100 to 700 °C precisely tuned the band gap to 2.94 eV for photocatalytic applications.•XRD confirmed fcc structure; particle sizes were 16.41 nm (300 °C), 24.40 nm (500 °C), and 29.36 nm (700 °C).•Efficiently degraded BB41 (83.16%) and ROM2R (90.19%) under optimized conditions using first-order kinetics.•LC-MS identified degradation products; ECOSAR software assessed environmental toxicity. This study successfully syntheses Cm-Ag/NiO nanocomposites (NCs) using an eco-friendly approach with Cucumis maderaspatanus L. leaf extract, highlighting a promising avenue for sustainable nanomaterial development. The nanocomposites were calcined at temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 °C to optimize their bandgap, achieving a value of 2.94 eV as determined by UV-Tauc plots. Characterization techniques revealed a face-centered cubic structure via X-ray diffraction, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed uniformly spherical NCs with an average particle size of 7.1 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the elemental composition and oxidation states, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and zeta potential measurements indicated robust thermal and colloidal stability. Photocatalytic experiments demonstrated degradation efficiencies of 83.16 % for the textile dye BB41 and 90.19 % for ROM2R under optimized conditions, with degradation kinetics following a first-order reaction model. Additionally, degradation products were identified via LC-MS, and toxicity was evaluated using ECOSAR software, shedding light on the environmental implications of our photocatalytic process. These findings establish Cm-Ag/NiO NCs as highly effective photocatalysts and sustainable solutions for addressing dye pollution in wastewater treatment, paving the way for innovative applications in environmental remediation.