Abstract
ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
heterostructure nanoparticles were prepared
via
a facile ultrasonic method and characterized using various techniques. The photocatalytic activity of ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
nanoparticles was investigated for the degradation of organic pollutants (methyl orange and bisphenol A) under visible-light irradiation. An enhanced photocatalytic efficiency was observed within 75 minutes compared with the individual constituents. A mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction is proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The cytotoxicity of the ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
nanoparticles was tested against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), the human colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116) and the normal human foreskin fibroblast cell line (HFF). More cytotoxicity was observed against the fibroblast cell line. The antimicrobial and antifungal activities of the ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
nanoparticles were also examined against methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(MDR-PA) and the yeast
Candida albicans
. It was observed that MDR-PA was more susceptible to ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
nanoparticles than MRSA and
Candida albicans
. Furthermore, the effect of the ZnCo
2
O
4
/Ag
3
PO
4
nanoparticles on biofilm formation by MDR-PA, MRSA and
Candida albicans
was also studied. The results indicated that the inhibition of biofilm production by MDR-PA was higher than for MRSA and yeast under similar conditions.