Lemon peel guided sol-gel synthesis of visible light active nano zinc oxide

Guiding the growth of nanostructured metal oxides through biomass offers environmentally benign routes to produce solids with customizable crystallite, optical and surface characteristics. In this context, we herein report the synthesis of visible light active nano ZnO through sol-gel method in the presence of lemon peel. The two-fold increase in the surface area and a shift in the absorption edge of lemon peel assisted ZnO towards visible region, together with its enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in the degradation of crystal violet compared to control, attested its suitability to be explored as a possible "green assistant" in the synthesis of metal oxide nano solids.