Green synthesis of Cu0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 nanoferrites using honey for enhanced photocatalytic crystal violet dye degradation and antibacterial activity.

Developing eco-friendly magnetic photocatalysts through sustainable synthesis routes is a key strategy for extending green technologies aimed at obtaining clean water. Their distinctive magnetic, surface, and catalytic properties have contributed to this interest. Herein, a renewable honey-mediated green synthesis strategy is developed to fabricate Cu0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 mixed spinel nanoferrites (CNF) by following the key principles of green chemistry, which involve the use of bio-based reagents, aqueous media, and reduced chemical waste. Characterization by XRD, SEM/EDS, TEM, UV-Vis, and FTIR techniques validates the formation of Cu0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 heterostructure with an average crystallite size of ~110 nm. As-prepared CNF photocatalyst exhibits superior UV-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Crystal Violet (CV) and Alizarin Red S, showing 91.3% removal of CV in 120 min at low catalyst dosage. The enhanced activity is attributed to the synergistic interactions between Cu-Ni ferrites, facilitating effective charge separation and the generation of reactive oxygen species for dye mineralization. Moreover, CNF manifests significant antibacterial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, which further supports the material's multifunctionality in water remediation. Consequently, the current work presents a sustainable, inexpensive, and scalable method to produce multifunctional ferrite photocatalysts suitable for environmentally safe wastewater treatment and antimicrobial applications.