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 m²/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 Mucormycosis. 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.

In this work, the efficiency of the adsorptive removal of the organic cationic dye methylene blue (MB) from polluted water was examined using three materials: natural clay (zeolite), Zn-Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH), and zeolite/LDH composite. These materials were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) diffraction (XRF), low-temperature N₂ adsorption, pore volume and average pore size distribution and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The properties of the applied nanomaterials regarding the adsorption of MB were investigated by determining various experimental parameters, such as the contact time, initial dye concentration, and solution pH. In addition, the adsorption isotherm model was estimated using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir model was the best-fitting for all applied nanomaterials. In addition, the kinetics were analyzed by using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models, and the pseudo-second-order model was an apparent fit for all three applied nanomaterials. The maximum Adsorption capacity toward MB obtained from the materials was in the order zeolite/LDH composite > zeolites > Zn-Fe LDH. Thus, the zeolite/LDH composite is an excellent adsorbent for the removal of MB from polluted water.

Heavy metals can be extracted from aqueous solutions by using the Zn-Co-Fe/LDH adsorbent (2:2:1 M), which was made by coprecipitation. Many of analytical methods, inclusive the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were applied to evaluate the produced adsorbent. The impact of adsorption factors consisting adsorbent dosage, time, initially adsorbate concentration, and solution pH was estimated. The Zn-Co-Fe/LDH material’s crystal structure is verified by X-ray diffraction investigation of the sample. As³⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ ions were successfully removed from the watery solution using the Zn-Co-Fe/LDH adsorbent. At pH range from 3 to 9, the maximal removal of As³⁺ ions reached 74%, whereas that of Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions reached 100%. The maximum adsorption capacity of LDH was determined by utilizing five model isotherms, the best model was Langmuir–Freundlich model and the maximum adsorption capacity was 529.63 mg/g, 2741.5 mg/g, and 1852.9 mg/g, respectively. The temperature experiments were conducted at 25, 35, 45, and 55 °C to investigate the thermodynamic parameters $$\Delta$$ Δ H ^o, $$\Delta$$ Δ S ^o, and $$\Delta$$ Δ G ^o. The calculated values show exothermic and non-spontaneous adsorption processes. The results revealed that heavy metals removal mechanisms involved physical and chemical adsorption. The reuse of adsorbent study was performed and discussed. In regard to this study, Zn-Co-Fe/LDH is a material that shows promise for treating industrial wastewater by effectively removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are promising 2D nanomaterials being investigated for several engineering and biomedical applications. In this work, quinary Zr Al Fe Co Ni LDH and its Al Fe Co Ni LDH quaternary and Fe Co Ni LDH tertiary roots were prepared and characterized. All samples showed an aggregated, layered morphology with zero surface charge and approximately 300 nm of hydrodynamic size. BET surface area of Al Fe Co Ni LDH showed a remarkable value of 143.25 m² g⁻¹ as opposed to 26.2 m² g⁻¹ and 45.4 m² g⁻¹ for Fe Co Ni LDH and Zr Al Fe Co Ni LDH, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the prepared samples was assessed against the many pathogenic bacteria; Bacillus (B.) subtilis, Escherichia (E.) coli, Haemophilus (H.) influenza, Listeria (L.) monocytogenes, Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, and Streptococcus (St.) pneumonia, and six fungal species. Furthermore, anti-biofilm activity, growth curve assay, and effect of UV illumination were examined against various pathogenic microbes. Zr Al Fe Co Ni displayed remarkable antibacterial activity, as indicated by the lowest values of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 4–166.7 μg mL⁻¹. Results for fungal strains varied in terms of their susceptibilities for the different samples tested. Zn Al Fe Co Ni was able to inhibit the biofilm formation of S. aureus (96.09%), E. coli (98.32%), and Candida (C.) albicans (95.93%). This study shown that certain LDH categories, particularly Zr Al Fe Co Ni, may be promising antibacterial agents against variety of pathogenic microorganisms that cause serious infections.