PEG-CuO/GO Nanocomposites with Versatile Functionality Through Two Independently Evaluated Applications: Dye Degradation and pH-Responsive Anticancer Drug Delivery

IF 3.5 4区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Pub Date : 2026-10-15 DOI:10.1007/s11270-026-10048-8

Bindu Dhuva, Sangeeta Obrai

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Abstract

The current research addresses two critical global challenges: environmental pollution and therapeutic drug delivery by developing a multifunctional nanocomposite. A novel polyethylene glycol modified copper oxide/graphene oxide (PEG-CuO/GO) nanocomposite was synthesised via a bottom-up approach and comprehensively characterised using XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, FT-IR, XPS, ICP-MS and TGA. The PEG-CuO/GO exhibited outstanding photocatalytic performance, achieving 98% degradation of crystal violet (CV) under visible light within 180 min at neutral pH and retained excellent stability over three successive cycles, understanding its reusability and robustness. The degradation followed first-order kinetics (R² = 0.9913), and radical trapping experiments confirmed the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as the primary oxidising agents in the photocatalytic mechanism. Beyond environment remediation, the PEG-CuO/GO nanocomposite also functioned as an efficient nanocarrier for the anticancer drug rutin, demonstrating high loading capacity and pH-responsive release behaviour. The release kinetics fitted well to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, indicating diffusion-controlled release under acidic conditions. The biological safety and metal leaching characterisation of the nanocomposite were evaluated using cytotoxicity and ICP-MS experiments. Overall, the PEG-CuO/GO nanocomposite showcases exceptional dual functionality, offering a sustainable and versatile platform for simultaneous dye degradation and drug delivery applications.

Graphical Abstract

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PEG-CuO/GO纳米复合材料具有多种功能，通过两个独立评估的应用：染料降解和ph响应抗癌药物输送

目前的研究通过开发多功能纳米复合材料来解决两个关键的全球挑战：环境污染和治疗药物输送。采用自下而上的方法合成了一种新型聚乙二醇修饰的氧化铜/氧化石墨烯（PEG-CuO/GO）纳米复合材料，并利用XRD、SEM、HR-TEM、FT-IR、XPS、ICP-MS和TGA对其进行了综合表征。PEG-CuO/GO表现出优异的光催化性能，在中性pH下180 min内可在可见光下降解98%的结晶紫（CV），并在连续三个循环中保持优异的稳定性，了解其可重复使用性和鲁棒性。降解遵循一级动力学（R2 = 0.9913），自由基捕获实验证实活性氧（ROS）作为主要氧化剂参与光催化机制。除了环境修复外，PEG-CuO/GO纳米复合材料还可以作为抗癌药物芦丁的有效纳米载体，具有高负载能力和ph响应释放行为。释放动力学符合Korsmeyer-Peppas模型，表明在酸性条件下扩散控制释放。采用细胞毒性和ICP-MS实验对纳米复合材料的生物安全性和金属浸出特性进行了评价。总的来说，PEG-CuO/GO纳米复合材料展示了卓越的双重功能，为同时降解染料和药物递送应用提供了一个可持续和通用的平台。图形抽象

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来源期刊

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

6.90%

发文量

448

审稿时长

2.6 months

期刊介绍： Water, Air, & Soil Pollution is an international, interdisciplinary journal on all aspects of pollution and solutions to pollution in the biosphere. This includes chemical, physical and biological processes affecting flora, fauna, water, air and soil in relation to environmental pollution. Because of its scope, the subject areas are diverse and include all aspects of pollution sources, transport, deposition, accumulation, acid precipitation, atmospheric pollution, metals, aquatic pollution including marine pollution and ground water, waste water, pesticides, soil pollution, sewage, sediment pollution, forestry pollution, effects of pollutants on humans, vegetation, fish, aquatic species, micro-organisms, and animals, environmental and molecular toxicology applied to pollution research, biosensors, global and climate change, ecological implications of pollution and pollution models. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution also publishes manuscripts on novel methods used in the study of environmental pollutants, environmental toxicology, environmental biology, novel environmental engineering related to pollution, biodiversity as influenced by pollution, novel environmental biotechnology as applied to pollution (e.g. bioremediation), environmental modelling and biorestoration of polluted environments. Articles should not be submitted that are of local interest only and do not advance international knowledge in environmental pollution and solutions to pollution. Articles that simply replicate known knowledge or techniques while researching a local pollution problem will normally be rejected without review. Submitted articles must have up-to-date references, employ the correct experimental replication and statistical analysis, where needed and contain a significant contribution to new knowledge. The publishing and editorial team sincerely appreciate your cooperation. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution publishes research papers; review articles; mini-reviews; and book reviews.