Green synthesis of gold-decorated BaTiO3-ZnO nanocomposites using Arabic gum polymer for efficient photocatalytic degradation of emerging textile dyes, antimicrobial, and toxicological evaluation.

The increasing contamination of aquatic environments by textile dyes and pathogenic microorganisms poses a significant environmental issue, emphasizing the need for sustainable and effective water purification technologies. This study introduces a unique plasmonic gold (Au) decorated BaTiO₃-ZnO nanocomposite synthesized using Arabic gum for antimicrobial activity and photocatalytic degradation of textile dyes, particularly Brilliant Green (BG) and Rose Bengal (RB). The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using various analytical techniques. The BaTiO₃-Au-ZnO nanocomposite photocatalyst demonstrated remarkable efficacy, achieving 94.7 % degradation of Rose Bengal and 88.31 % degradation of Brilliant Green under visible light within 90 min, respectively. Additionally, the pH, reusability, radical trapping analysis, and stability were examined. Radical trapping tests identified h+ and O₂•- as the principal reactive species. The degradation intermediates of Rose Bengal were analyzed using LC-MS. Furthermore, Ecological Structure-Activity Relationship (ECOSAR) analysis was conducted to predict the ecotoxicity of the degradation intermediates and assess their acute and chronic effects on fish, Daphnia, and green algae. Further, the synthesized nanocomposite exhibited vigorous antibacterial activity against pathogens such as Corynebacterium, Haematobacter, and Bacillus bacterial strains. The polymer-based nanocomposite comprising BaTiO₃, Au, and ZnO offers a cost-effective, non-toxic, and eco-friendly solution promising for water treatment applications.