Multi metal oxide NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite-synthesis, photocatalytic and antibacterial properties

Binary NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$, NiO-CdO nanocomposites, and ternary NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite are synthesized using facile co-precipitation method, and their photocatalytic and antibacterial properties are studied. The as-obtained products are characterized using different analytical techniques. The microstructural parameters were calculated using X-ray diffraction data. UV–vis spectra technique was used to calculate the bandgap and listed 3.1, 2.7, and 2.5 eV for NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$, NiO-CdO, and NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of as-obtained products was tested under visible light against methylene blue (MB) dye. The NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite has shown higher degradation efficiency as compared to binary nanocomposites and revealed improve electron–hole separation efficiency. The photocatalytic performance of NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite was also tested for other synthetic dyes such as rhodamine-B (RhB), methyl orange (MO), and cresol red (CR). The antibacterial performance of grown products was tested against E. coli bacteria. The ternary NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$-CdO nanocomposite has shown higher antibacterial activity than binary NiO-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$ and NiO-CdO nanocomposites.