Green Synthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles (CuO-Nps) using Calotropis procera Plant Extract: Characterization and Evaluation in the Photocatalytic Degradation of Dye

In recent years, green synthesis has received much attention due to its positive impact on the environment. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-Nps) were synthesized using the co-precipitation method with three different approaches; traditional synthesis (T@CuO-Nps), synthesis via the Calotropis procera (C. procera) plant with and without carbon nanotubes (CuO-Nps@C.procera@CNT), (CuO-Nps@C.procera), respectively. The photocatalytic performance was investigated by removing Alizarine Yellow R (AYR) dye under sunlight. The properties of the CuO-Nps were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Photocatalytic activities of the CuO-Nps were checked for the removal of AYR dye using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. It was observed that the removal of dye reached 96.83%, 39.6%, and 32.37% for CuO-Nps@C.procera@CNT, CuO-Nps@C.procera, and T@CuO-Nps, respectively. Furthermore, the biological activities of the CuO-Nps were tested, and antibacterial efficiency was shown against gram +ve and -ve bacterial strains.