Investigation of ternary Zn–Co–Fe layered double hydroxide as a multifunctional 2D layered adsorbent for moxifloxacin and antifungal disinfection
Rehab Mahmoud, Nada M. Kotb, Yasser GadelHak, Fatma I. Abo El‐Ela, Ayman Z. Shehata, Sarah I. Othman, Ahmed A. Allam, Hassan A. Rudayni, Amal Zaher
Abstract
Abstract Layered double hydroxides have recently gained wide interest as promising multifunctional nanomaterials. In this work, a multifunctional ternary Zn–Co–Fe LDH was prepared and characterized using XRD, FTIR, BET, TEM, SEM, and EDX. This LDH showed a typical XRD pattern with a crystallite size of 3.52 nm and a BET surface area of 155.9 m 2 /g. This LDH was investigated, for the first time, as an adsorbent for moxifloxacin, a common fluoroquinolones antibiotic, showing a maximum removal efficiency and equilibrium time of 217.81 mg/g and 60 min, respectively. Its antifungal activity, for the first time, was investigated against Penicillium notatum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Mucor fungi at various concentrations (1000–1.95 µg/mL). This LDH was found to be effective against a variety of fungal strains, particularly Penicillium and Mucor species and showed zones of inhibition of 19.3 and 21.6 mm for Penicillium and Mucor , respectively, with an inhibition of 85% for Penicillium species and 68.3% for Mucor mycosis. The highest antifungal efficacy results were obtained at very low MIC concentrations (33.3 and 62 µg/ml) against Penicillium and Mucor , respectively. The results of this study suggest a promising multifunctional potential of this LDH for water and wastewater treatment and disinfection applications.