A new approach to the synthesis of CuMoO4 nanoparticles with mechanistic insight into the sunlight-assisted degradation of textile pollutants and antibacterial activity evaluation

CuMoO4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a thermal decomposition followed by a precipitation method. Analytical techniques such as FE-SEM, EDS, HR-TEM, XRD, FTIR, UV–visible, PL, and XPS were used to characterize the structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of CuMoO4. As per XRD analysis, the structure of CuMoO4 NPs with different Cu concentrations was consistent, however, their crystallinities were changed. The band gap of CuMoO4 with various concentrations of Cu (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 M) was estimated to be 1.97 eV, 1.86 eV, and 1.44 eV, respectively. The electrical conductivity of 0.3 M CuMoO4 NPs was greater than other synthesized nanocomposites. Methylene Blue (MB) mineralization in an aqueous medium after 180 min of exposure to sunlight was investigated to study the photocatalytic activities of all CuMoO4 composites. As per the PL study, the 0.3 M CuMoO4 NPs exhibited better photocatalytic efficiency due to their low electron-hole recombination rate. Experimental parameters like the MB concentration, catalyst dosage, and the solution pH were evaluated to optimize the experimental conditions. The in-situ capture analysis proposed a plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of MB. The two main active species identified for MB degradation were superoxide radical anions and hydroxyl radicals. The repeated photocatalytic MB degradation verified the high level of reusability of 0.3 M CuMoO4. The well-diffusion technique was utilized to examine the antibacterial activity of 0.3 M CuMoO4 NPs against gram-positive (Salmonella typhi) and gram-negative (Streptococcus mutans) bacterial strains. The optimized CuMoO4 showed excellent promise for application in the field of photocatalysis, electrocatalytic and antibacterial activity.