The physical properties and photocatalytic activities of green synthesized ZnO nanostructures using different ginger extract concentrations

Abstract

The green synthesis method which is aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) theory, is proposed to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles using ginger extract to treat the acidic wastewater and acidic factory effluent as a current challenge and the effects of the concentration of extracts on the synthesized ZnO nanostructures are investigated. The results declare that the single-phase hexagonal ZnO is formed using ginger extract concentration of less than 25 mL and the crystallite size of green synthesized ZnO NPs increased with increasing the concentration of ginger extract. Also, the significant effects of ginger extract concentration on the morphology of nanoparticles (nanocone, nanoflakes, and flower-like) and the particle size are demonstrated. The low concentration of ginger extract leads to the formation of the ZnO nanoflakes, while the flower-like structure is gradually completed by increasing the concentration of the ginger extract. Furthermore, significant changes in the specific surface area (SSA) of the samples are observed (in the range of 6.1–27.7 m2/g) by the variation of ginger extract concentration and the best SSA is related to using 10 mL ginger extract. Also, the strong effect of using ginger extract on the reflectance spectra of the green synthesized ZnO NPs, especially in the UV region is proved. The indirect (direct) band gap energies of the ZnO samples are obtained in the range of 3.09–3.20 eV (3.32–3.38 eV). Furthermore, the photocatalytic activities of the samples for the degradation of methylene blue indicate the impressive effect of ginger extract concentration on the degradation efficiency of ZnO nanoparticles and it reaches up to 44% and 83% for ZnO NPs prepared using 5 mL ginger extract in a pH of 4.3 and 5.6, respectively. This study provided new insights into the fabrication and practical application of high-performance ZnO photocatalysts synthesized using ginger extract in degrading organic pollutants in an acidic solution.

Cytotoxic evaluation of Dovyalis Caffra leaf extract-mediated hematite-(Fe2O3) nanoparticles for biological applications

“…Green synthetic approaches, like those involving the use of plant extracts as mediating agents, have emerged as eco-friendly alternatives for nanoparticle preparation, especially for materials used in invasive medical applications [1,7]. In the last few decades, these plant meditaited synthetic approaches have gained significant attention due to biocompatibility with most living cells, affordability, sustainability, non-toxicity, eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and the capacity to produce nanomaterials with desireable physicochemical properties [8][9][10]. Hence, many green synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) mediated using bioactive components from plant extracts have been reported.…”

Facile preparation of hydrophobic coatings using modified ZnO/Silica composite nanoparticles

“…The remarkable adherence of silica-based nanomaterials and silicon derivatives to surfaces such as glass and sand has recently garnered a lot of interest [3][4][5][6]. A number of organic silane derivatives have been investigated as potential coatings for sand grains in an effort to create surfaces that are hydrophobic [3][4][5][6][7]. Alkoxide precursors that include hydrophobic side functional groups, such as silsequioxanes or organosilanes, are often hydrolyzed and condensed in the same location [3].…”

“…For a variety of agricultural and environmental purposes, soils and sands were modified by using chemical vapor deposition technologies, dip coating, and spraying techniques [3]. No changes were made to clinically-relevant urine indicators when using hydrophobic sand (LabSand or Kit4Cat) for short-term urine collection in rats, making it just as effective as metabolic cage approaches [7]. Superhydrophobic coating was made from spherical silica nanostructures modified with organosilane chemicals for glass surfaces; A one-step sol-gel approach utilizing a base catalyst generated a spherical silica nanostructure using TEOS as a precursor and PDMS as a surface modifier [17].…”