Work

Interface-engineered Fe2O3-ZnO nanocomposites with ZnFe2O4 spinel bridges for efficient OER and antimicrobial activity

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Efficient and sustainable catalysts for oxygen evolution and antimicrobial applications are important for energy conversion and biomedical technologies. Here we show that interface-engineered Fe2O3-ZnO nanocomposites with ZnFe2O4 bridges are explored as multifunctional applications. Fe2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized via a Bos taurus indicus urine assisted-route and Fe2O3-ZnO (10-20 wt%Fe) composites by solvent-free solid-state reaction. XRD/Rietveld, FTIR/Raman, BET, SEM-EDS and XPS confirmed rhombohedral Fe2O3, wurtzite ZnO and interfacial ZnFe2O4 with modified cation distribution. Fe2O3 showed the best oxygen evolution performance, requiring 142 mV to reach 10 mA/cm2 with a Tafel slope of 85 mV/dec, high electrochemically active surface area and low charge-transfer resistance. Density functional theory on α-Fe2O3 (110) indicated balanced adsorption of *OH, *O and *OOH with *OH → *O as the potential-determining step. Antibacterial assays and anti-inflammatory tests revealed enhanced responses for the composites. This solvent-free strategy yields Fe2O3-ZnO-ZnFe2O4 architectures that couple efficient alkaline OER with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. Fe2O3-ZnO-ZnFe2O4 hybrid systems exhibit enhanced charge-transfer kinetics and antimicrobial surface properties, making them suitable as multifunctional materials for electrocatalysis and biomedical applications. Here, the authors use a solvent-free strategy to prepare Fe2O3-ZnO-ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites, demonstrating efficient oxygen evolution under alkaline conditions and enhanced antibacterial and anti-inflammatory responses against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Source: Communications Chemistry

DOI: 10.1038/s42004-026-02047-x