Bio Designed ZnO Nanoparticles with Leaves of Elaeocarpus Sylvestris and Investigation of Photocatalyst for Dye Degradation and Antimicrobial applications

In the present study, a greener method has been developed for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extract of Elaeocarpus Sylvestris. The as-synthesized Elaeocarpus Sylvestris-coated ZnO nanoparticles (ESZnO NPs) were characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The average size of the ESZnO NPs was 81 nm based on TEM analysis. FTIR spectra revealed that Elaeocarpus Sylvestris leaf extract contains phenolic compounds, and accordingly, a plausible mechanism for the formation of ZnO NPs was proposed. The prepared ESZnO NPs exhibited efficient photocatalytic activity for the removal of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) organic dye pollutants. The photocatalytic degradation of MO and MB followed pseudo first order kinetics with rate constants of 0.00265 min(-1) and 0.01034 min(-1), respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the ESZnO NPs was evaluated against both gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis) and gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) employing the agar-well diffusion method. ESZnO NPs have shown promising antimicrobial activity. The current study shows a newer path for synthesizing ZnO NPs with a wide range of applications.