Development and Investigation of Co-Doped ZnO Photocatalysts for Organic Contaminant Degradation and Antimicrobial Activity

Research on sunlight-active photocatalysts for degrading organic pollutants and exhibiting antimicrobial properties has garnered significant interest recently. In this study, we synthesized pure ZnO and Co-doped ZnO (Co/ZnO) photocatalysts through a simple coprecipitation approach. UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) were among the analytical methods used to certainly evaluate the photocatalysts. XRD patterns confirmed that the Co-ZnO sample exhibited a single-phase structure also exhibits crystallite size were 20 nm. Co, Zn, and O components were confirmed to be present in the synthetic material by EDAX analysis. FESEM imaging revealed the nanoparticle spherical like morphology of the Co-ZnO photocatalyst, while FTIR spectra provided information on the material’s chemical bonds. The band gap was measured using UV-Vis spectroscopy, with Co-ZnO nanoparticles showing a band gap of 2.83 eV. The synthesized photocatalysts were applied to degrade methylene blue, methyl orange dye and tested for antimicrobial properties. Results indicated that the optimized Co doped ZnO sample achieved higher photocatalytic performance under sunlight, with 86% degradation of methylene blue dye within 120 min. Additionally, the photocatalyst displayed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhi, Enterococcus, and Candida parapsilosis.