Synergistic effect of Cux/Mgx and Zn1−xO for enhanced photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial activity

Abstract Metal-doped zinc oxide nanostructures (ZONSs) of schemes CuxZn1−xO and MgxZn1−xO (x = 0, 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 M) were synthesized via co-precipitation technique. The structural parameters of as-prepared ZONSs were investigated from XRD technique and doping concentration limit for both types of dopant was found, causing a shift in the Eg value based on the availability of density of states for that dopant. SEM analysis confirmed thin sheet-like nanocrystalline morphologies of all samples within size range 78–450 nm. Optical analysis revealed that higher concentration of Cu in the sample resulted in overlapped impurity states following a considerable increase in its Eg value. Among all samples, Cu0.1 and Mg0.01 samples with reduced PL emission, exhibited maximum degradation of MB dye under direct-sunlight exposure of few seconds. As positively charged metal-doped ZONSs attract more toward Gram-negative bacterial membrane, the suggested samples have shown improved antibacterial performance against Klabsiella strains.