Abstract
Global concern regarding the energy crisis and environmental pollution is increasing. The fabrication of efficient catalysts remains a long-term goal. Recently, green synthesis methods for catalyst fabrication have attracted the scientific community. Herein, a simple approach to synthesize bismuth zirconate-hydroxyapatite (BZO-HA) nanocomposites using Mentha spicata (mint) leaves as a reducing agent via a combustion method has been reported. The use of a green reducing agent provided economic attributes to this work. Among the prepared samples, the BZO-HA (20%) composite exhibited superior photocatalytic activity. The photodegradation efficiency of the composite reached 90.3% and 98.4% for methylene blue (MB) and rose Bengal (RB) dyes, respectively. The results showed the excellent optical performance of the prepared composites. The constructed sensor (BZO-HA 20%) for the very first time showed outstanding selectivity and performance towards sensing lead nitrate and dextrose compared to bare bismuth zirconate (BZO) and hydroxyapatite (HA). A three-electrode system using 0.1 M KCl was used for the study. The synthesized composite BZO-HA (20%) can sense lead nitrate and dextrose over the concentration range of 1-5 mM in the potential range from -1.0 V to +1.0 V. The BZO-HA composite was also investigated against Gram-negative (S. typhi) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) bacteria for antibacterial activity studies. Enhanced antibacterial activity was observed compared to bare BZO and HA catalysts. Thus, the prepared BZO-HA nanocomposite exhibited multifunctional applications.