Photocatalytic degradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics using chitosan biopolymer functionalized copper oxide nanoparticles prepared by facile sonochemical method

Photocatalytic degradation is an excellent method for removing pharmaceutical residues due to their simplicity, ecological benignity, high efficiency, and exceptional stability. Herein, we demonstrate the sonochemically synthesised chitosan biopolymer functionalized copper oxide nanoparticles as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of fluoroquinolone-based antibiotics. The X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinement revealed the formation of single-phase copper oxide (CuO) with a monoclinic structure. The presence of biopolymer functionalization was corroborated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy by observing the -NH2 and -OH functional groups. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopic images inferred that Chitosan functionalized copper oxide (C-CuO) particles are nano-sized with a smooth texture and aggregation-free particles. The strong absorbance and the broad photoluminescence emission in the ultraviolet-visible region confirm the suitability of CuO and C-CuO nanoparticles for photocatalytic applications. The catalytic activity was studied against fluoroquinolone-based antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin under direct sunlight illumination. Interestingly, the C-CuO catalyst demonstrated 71.07 % (@140 min.) and 71.9 % (@60 min.) of degradation for ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, respectively. The obtained photocatalytic activity of the prepared CuO and C-CuO catalysts was superior to the CuO particles prepared by the coprecipitation method (CC-CuO).