Structural, Morphological, Optical, and Antibacterial Activities of Zinc Oxide Nanopowders: A Comparative Study of Green and Soft Chemical Synthesis

Abstract

Zinc oxide, a well-known inorganic metal oxide in nanoparticle form, has outstanding antibacterial properties. In this work, the authors focus on determining ZnO nanoparticles’ structural, optical, and antibacterial activity. A simple soft chemical route synthesizes C-ZnO nanoparticles chemically, while the green synthesis method is used to prepare G-ZnO nanoparticles. Ocimum tenuiflorum leaf extract was used to prepare G-ZnO nanopowders. These samples are investigated and compared in terms of their structural, morphological, optical, and antibacterial properties. According to XRD investigations, the synthesized ZnO nanopowders possess a hexagonal structure. The particle size of G-ZnO is smaller than that of C-ZnO nanoparticles. The XPS result revealed the binding and interactions between molecules. The FTIR study confirmed the presence of molecules and their vibrations. UV-vis-DRS spectroscopy was used to investigate optical properties such as reflectance and band gap. The grain size of the G-ZnO nanopowders was decreased, and oxygen vacancy was produced. The antibacterial efficiency of plant extracts against two different bacterial strains, S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E.coli (Gram-negative), has been studied and reported.

Green nanocomposite: fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic application of vitamin C adduct-conjugated ZnO nanoparticles

“…In addition, the catalytic and photochemical benets of ZnONPs were well documented. [2][3][4][5][6] Despite all these advantages of ZnONPs, they suffer from severe limitations, such as undesired UV absorption (equal to or less than 387 nm), due to their large band gap energy (approximately 3.2 eV) 7 and the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. 8 These serious challenges have motivated researchers to invent novel strategies for improving ZnONPs.…”