An Innovative Green Eco-Friendly Method for the Synthesis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles Using Plinia cauliflora Extract

Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized for the first time, using extracts from the leaf and peel of Plinia cauliflora (jabuticaba) fruit by varying the pH level of the reaction medium. The powders were obtained after calcination at 400 ºC and characterized by thermogravimetry (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the use of jabuticaba leaf extract favored the stabilization of nanoparticles, providing smaller crystallite sizes and lower crystallinity. Crystallite sizes smaller than 50 nm were obtained using the leaf extract with pH level adjusted to 7 and 10. The morphology was strongly affected by both the extracts and the pH levels of the medium, and showed a flower-like shape when using jabuticaba peel extract at pH 7. Thus, the use of Plinia cauliflora extract showed a promising potential for the production of ZnO nanoparticles with different morphologies.