Potential suitability of NiO-CuO nanocomposite for photoconductive sensor, soft magnetic materials applications and as antimicrobial agent

•NiO, CuO and NiO-CuO nanoparticles were synthesized via precipitation method.•The composite exhibited photoconductive property better than NiO but less than CuO.•Enhanced magnetic and antifungal properties were realized for the composite. Semiconductor nanocomposites containing two metal oxides with different functionalities have gained significant attention as they exhibit improved optical, electrical, magnetic and catalytic properties better than their single entities. The present work aims to synthesize NiO-CuO nanocomposite and to study its suitability for photoconductive sensor, soft magnetic materials applications and as antimicrobial agent. NiO, CuO and NiO-CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies reveal the existence of cubic and monoclinic structured peaks of NiO and CuO in the nanocomposite. Ni-O and Cu-O related bands were observed from the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite exhibits band gap between NiO and CuO. Photosensitivity of NiO improves when coupled with CuO. The nanocomposite possess enhanced ferromagnetic behaviour due to increased point defects, uncompensated spins and exchange coupling between Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions. CuO improved the antifungal ability of NiO against Aspergillus terreus (A. Terreus) fungi.