Facile synthesis and characterization of Te-doped CuO nanoparticles for increased antibacterial and photocatalytic activity

Te-doped CuO nanoparticles (NPs) are fabricated via the facile co-precipitation method for aquaculture wastewater remediation. The phase, crystallite size, and morphological studies of the fabricated Te-doped CuO NPs were studied by scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. XRD of pristine and Te-doped CuO NPs (4 wt%) exhibited crystallite size of 10-17 nm. FE-SEM shows that the nanostructured material exhibited a rice grain-like morphology. The antibacterial activity of prepared samples was investigated against an aquatic fish pathogenic gram-negative (Aeromonas Salmonicida strain MTCC 1522) bacteria using the disc diffusion method. This method displayed that 4 wt% Te-doped CuO NPs exhibited excellent antibacterial activity compared to Pristine CuO NPs. Further, 4 wt% Te-doped CuO exhibited higher photocatalytic activity (76.6 %) compared to pristine CuO (39.4%) towards the photodecomposition of 2,4-Dichlorophenol in a water medium by UV light. Taking into consideration the facile synthesis process and the efficient antibacterial activity of Te-doped CuO NPs, this study opens up a marvellous possibility for this material in wastewater treatment.Copyright (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2nd International Con-ference on Advances in Smart Materials & Emerging Technologies.