Facile synthesis of multifunctional bismuth oxychloride nanoparticles for photocatalysis and antimicrobial test

Nanotechnology provides a good opportunity to investigate and develop multifunctional nanoscale materials. Due to increased surface area and smaller size, nanomaterials are used as promising tools for many biological applications. Herein, a green approach is used to prepare bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method and tender jackfruit extract is used as a natural reducing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles were subjected to different spectroscopic techniques to characterize them. The crystallinity and phase composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction studies and confirmed the tetragonal structure of BiOCl. The surface morphology and elemental composition were studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectra (EDS) analysis, and functional groups were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The as-synthesized BiOCl nanoparticles showed superior catalytic activity toward the detection of methylene blue dye with high degree of recyclability.