The increasing discharge of dye-contaminated wastewater, coupled with the limitations of conventional photocatalysts and environmentally hazardous synthesis routes, poses a major challenge to sustainable environmental remediation. In this work, we report the novel green synthesis of silver–copper oxide (Ag–CuO) nanoparticles using Nyctanthes arbor-tristis leaf extract for the first time, introducing a biogenic, eco-sustainable route for fabricating multifunctional nanomaterials. Structural characterization confirmed the formation of crystalline spherical nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 29.83 nm and a suitable band gap of 2.35 eV for visible light-driven applications. The as-synthesized nanoparticles exhibited noteworthy photocatalytic activity, achieving 75% degradation of Crystal Violet dye under visible light. GC-MS analysis confirmed the oxidative breakdown of dye molecules into less toxic intermediates while post-photocatalysis XRD and FTIR analyses affirmed the structural integrity of the catalyst. Additionally, the nanoparticles retained approximately 70% efficiency after five consecutive cycles, confirming their stability and reusability. Furthermore, the nanoparticles exhibited significant antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties, thereby broadening their application potential in environmental and biomedical fields. This study highlights a sustainable and innovative nano-platform incorporating green synthesis, strong photocatalytic efficiency, reusability, and biomedical relevance, positioning it as a promising candidate for real-world applications. • Green synthesis of Ag–CuO nanoparticles using Nyctanthes arbor-tristis leaf extract as a reducing agent. • Crystalline Ag–CuO heterostructures confirmed by UV–DRS, FTIR, XRD, SEM, HRTEM, AFM, DLS, and XPS. • Visible-light photocatalytic degradation of Crystal Violet achieved ∼75% removal within 50 min. • Ag–CuO nanoparticles show ∼70% efficiency after five reuse cycles, indicating good stability. • Strong antimicrobial and antioxidant activity shows biomedical and environmental potential.
Anwer et al. (Thu,) studied this question.