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The disintegration of crystals from bismuth dichalcogenides into Bi2O3nanosheets stands out as a favorable methodology for the photocatalysis of azo dyes and hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] in wastewater treatment. In this investigation, the synthesis of Bi2O3nanosheets via a simple sonication, utilizing N,N-dimethylformamide solvent, was explored. The Bi2O3powder’s EDX spectra indicate peaks for Bi, O, and C at 82.94, 10.18, and 6.89%, respectively, whereas the Tauc plot yields a band gap of 2.67 eV, and its XRD pattern exhibits three distinct peaks, (120), (200), and (121), suggesting monoclinic Bi2O3formation. The obtained nanosheets exhibited significant surface area, rock-like shapes composed of multilayer sheets, single-crystalline attributes featuring a lattice spacing of 0.398 nm, and an optical band gap measuring 2.30 eV. Photocatalytic evaluations, employing methyl orange (MO) and Cr (VI), unveiled noteworthy efficiencies, reaching 78.5% within 240 min and 89.8% within 50 min under visible light, respectively. Both catalytic reactions conformed to pseudo-first-order kinetic , with kinetic constants (k) registering at 0.0023 and 0.044 min–1for MO and Cr (VI), respectively. The photocatalysis process involves the coordinated transport of electrons (e–) from the Bi2O3nanosheets to the MO/Cr (VI) adsorbed on their surface, leading to effective wastewater treatment. These findings underscore the promise of exfoliated Bi2O3nanosheets as an adept and efficient photocatalyst for MO/Cr (VI) contaminated wastewater treatment, featuring their notable contribution to advancing ecological water treatment methodologies.

In recent years, functional antimicrobial fabric materials have been in high demand in the health sector due to the impact of COVID-19. Considering the increasing demand, and the availability of natural, environment-friendly, non-toxic products is not boundless. In this study, a facile, eco-friendly method for the preparation of antimicrobial functional cotton fabric is proposed. At first, scoured and bleached cotton fabric is treated with chitosan, followed by encapsulation of lavender essential oil (LEO) with the addition of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (jackfruit) latex gum as a binder. For the encapsulation and optimization of LEO and jackfruit latex gum (JLG) performance, four variations of these material’s quantity were utilized. Among all the studied samples, we found that efficiently inducing development inhibition of gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria culture. Among all, the chitosan-treated fabric in addition to LEO and JLG sample named TG-5 (refers to LEO of 3 mL and JLG of 5 mL) showed the most impactful bacteria reduction. It demonstrates the most effective antibacterial reduction of 92.5% and 56.8% for E. coli and S. aureus bacterium cultures, respectively. The Field Emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) illustrates and validates the morphology and addition of the prepared samples, while Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) is subjected to identify the chemical bonding and chemical compounds of the functionalized materials. Therefore, the new combination of lavender oil and latex gum of jackfruit as an antimicrobial finishing agent can be the replacement of synthetic chemicals for cotton fabric functionalization in medical textiles.