Lathifah Puji Hastuti, Abdul Hamid Budiman, Oka Pradipta Arjasa, Desinta Dwi Ristiana, Muhammad Dikdik Gumelar, Dita Adi Saputra, Sri Rahayu, Saddam Husin, Hariaman Prasetyo
This study reports the synthesis of NiS/CuO nanocomposites via a hydrothermal method, forming a p–p homojunction that reduces the band gap to 2.4 eV and enhances visible-light absorption. XRD confirmed mixed α-NiS and β-NiS phases with high crystallinity, while FE-SEM showed random morphology in both NiS and the composite, with some rod-like structures in NiS. EDX and elemental mapping verified successful compositing of CuO and NiS with a relatively uniform distribution. The composite achieved ~ 100% degradation of Methylene Blue (MB), 78% of Brilliant Green (BG), and 35% of Methyl Orange (MO), outperforming pure NiS. MB degradation followed Langmuir–Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order kinetics (R2 = 0.9649, k = 0.0328 min− 1), and the material retained over 80% activity after three cycles. Antibacterial testing against Escherichia coli revealed a MIC of 5 mg/mL and MBC of 10 mg/mL. These results demonstrate the potential of NiS/CuO nanocomposites as stable, dual-functional agents for photocatalytic and antimicrobial wastewater treatment. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Research Center for Energy Conversion and Conservation, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia
