In the present work, zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) doped ZnO nanostructures are synthesized using a hydrothermal method. Structural quality of the products is attested using X-ray diffraction, which confirms the hexagonal wurtzite structure of pure ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures. XRD further confirms the crystallite orientation along the c-axis, (101) plane. The field emission scanning electron microscope study reveals the change in shape of the synthesized ZnO particles from hexagonal nanoparticles to needle-shaped nanostructures for 3 wt% Ag-doped ZnO. The optical band gaps and lattice strain of nanostructures is increased significantly with the increase of doping concentration of Ag in ZnO nanostructure. The antimicrobial activity of synthesized nanostructures has been evaluated against the gram-positive human pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus via an agarose gel diffusion test. The maximum value of zone of inhibition (22 mm) is achieved for 3 wt% Ag-doped ZnO nanostructure and it clearly demonstrates the remarkable antibacterial activity.

The different dyes in industries and microbial pathogenic issues have raised serious concerns in water bodies about the environment and human health. Efficiently treatment of contaminated water is a major...

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In view of facile, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly synthetic methods, palladium-doped copper oxide (Pd-CuO) nanoparticles have been synthesized from Ocimum sanctum (commonly known as "Tulsi") phytoextract for gas-sensing applications. The structural, morphological, and compositional properties of Pd-doped CuO nanoparticles were studied using various techniques such as XRD, FESEM, XPS, and EDX. The characterization results confirmed the doping of Pd on CuO nanoparticles, and Pd-CuO nanostructures appear as nanoflakes in FESEM analysis. The gas-sensing response of Pd (1.12 wt %)-CuO nanoflake-based sensor was measured at 5−100 ppm concentration of different gases, NO 2 , H 2 S, NH 3 , and H 2 , at 125 °C. Gas-sensing tests reveal that the sensitivity of the sensor were 81.7 and 38.9% for 100 and 5 ppm concentrations of NO 2, respectively, which was significantly greater than that of pure CuO. The response and recovery times of the sensor were 72 and 98 s for 100 ppm of NO 2 gas, while they were 90 and 50 s for 5 ppm NO 2 . The calculated limit of detection (LOD) value of the sensor is 0.8235. This appealing LOD is suitable for real-time gas detection. The gas sensor was found to exhibit excellent selectivity toward NO 2 gas and repeatability and stability in humid (80%) conditions. The Pd doping in CuO nanostructures plays a significant role in escalating the sensitivity and selectivity of CuO-based NO 2 gas sensor suitable to work at low operating temperatures.

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