CuFe₂O₄/hydroxyapatite magnetic nanocomposite synthesized using pensi clam shells as a source of calcium for degradation of dye and anti-bacterial applications

CuFe₂O/hydroxyapatite magnetic composites were synthesized via a hydrothermal technique using Pensi clam shells as a calcium source and betel leaf extract as a capping agent. XRD patterns of the composite displayed appearance peaks of the hexagonal structure of hydroxyapatite and the cubic structure of spinel CuFe₂O₄. SEM and TEM images show the spherical CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were distributed on the surface of granular hydroxyapatite grains. CuFe₂O/hydroxyapatite composites have an absorption edge in the visible region with E_g values within the range of 1.68–1.83 eV. The composites possess a soft ferromagnetic behavior with the range of saturation magnetic (M_s) is 17.7–38.4 emu/g, remnant magnetization (M_r) is 1.3–2.2 emu/g and magnetic coercivity (H_c) is 363–372 Oe. The surface area of the composite estimated by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method is 13.699 m²/g. The degradation percentage of Direct Red 81 dye reached 99.8% for 2 h irradiation. As an antibacterial agent against S. aureus and E. coli, the composite showed resistance with 11.9 mm of inhibition zone.