Abstract
The current study proposes a low-cost, environmentally benign manufacturing approach of copper ferrite nanoparticles (CuFe(2)O(4) NPs) via mushroom extract of Pleurotus florida (PFE) as the first-time report. Several characterization methods verified the production of PFE-CuFe(2)O(4) NPs. The absorption spectrum exhibited the peak at 420 nm; band gap of 1.85 eV. The studies of SEM and TEM confirmed spherical and homogeneously distributed CuFe(2)O(4) NPs with an average size of 22.4 ± 1.4 nm. The FTIR reported the presence of bio-essential molecules in PFE can act as a stabilizing and capping agent. The NPs were found to be fairly stable with zeta potential found at 28.9 ± 0.2 mV. Numerous in vitro biological investigations exemplified the applicability and practicality of CuFe(2)O(4) NPs and compare them with the standard. The biofunctionalized CuFe(2)O(4) NPs demonstrated a potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Additionally, it was discovered that CuFe(2)O(4) NPs have superior antioxidant activity (77-83%) and their scavenging ability is more comparable to ascorbic acid (control). Furthermore, a degradation efficiency of 91-92% was observed in 10-15 min for CuFe(2)O(4) NPs in rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) dyes, indicating their remarkable effectiveness in this regard. Future research may focus on applying CuFe(2)O(4) NPs to comprehensive wastewater treatment and determining the degradation products and ecological consequences.