Surfactant assisted CuO/MCM-41 nanocomposite: Ultra efficient photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue dye and inactivation of highly drug resistant bacteria

In recent years, metal and metal oxide modified mesoporous materials have attracted great attention in science and technology due to their remarkable properties, such as mesoscopic bulky shape, large surface area, and interconnected porous structures enabling them to be one of the most exciting materials for biomedical and photocatalytic applications. In this paper, we used a hydrothermal technique to investigate new multifunctional nanostructural material i.e. CuO-MCM-41. The obtained nanocomposites were characterized using XRD, FTIR, UV, SEM, HRTEM, EDX and BET analyses. The as synthesized nanomaterials were screened for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. In the presence of CuO-MCM-41 photocatalyst, 97% MB was degraded only in 30 min of irradiation. The CuO-MCM-41 is an efficient antibacterial agent with effective light inhibition activity against E. coli, S. aureus, S. typhimurium, K. pneumoniae, and B. subtilis. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also analysed. Furthermore, the nanomaterial is also an efficient DPPH stabilizing agent. The hydrothermally prepared CuO-MCM-41 nanocomposite may be a promising material for removing hazardous organic compounds and microorganisms. Hydrothermal synthesis of CuO/MCM-41 nanocomposite. [Display omitted] •Synthesis of new active CuO/MCM-41 nanocomposite.•Novel chemical hydrothermal protocol was applied.•CuO/MCM-41 nanocomposite was applied for the photodegradation of methylene blue dye.•Detail mechanism was studied.•CuO/MCM-41nanocomposite has significant antibacterial activity and DPPH scavenging activity.