ELECTROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING OF NICKEL OXIDE NANOCLUSTERS

The nanoclusters are having different properties than their bulk material. Hence, the synthesis and applications of nanoclusters of metal oxides have received more attention. Out of many available methods for the synthesis of metal oxide nanoclusters, the electrochemical reduction method is simple, cheap, and provides pure material hence preferred. The present study describes the synthesis of nickel oxide nanoclusters by electrochemical reduction method wherein the nickel-metal sheet was used as a sacrificial anode while platinum was used as an inert cathode. The electrolysis was carried out at varied current density for 2 h in aqueous solutions using tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB) as a capping agent. The nanostructure of the synthesized nanoclusters has been analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), and UV-visspectro-photometer. The nickel oxide nanoclusters were screened for their antimicrobial potential against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and found to have a broad spectrum of activity.