FACILE SYNTHESIS OF CARBON NANOPARTICLES USING AN AQUATIC WEED, EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES

Carbon nanoparticles are widely used as catalysis, sensing to optics, antimicrobial activity, and data storage capacity, thus carbon nanoparticles are synthesized in many different ways. However, limitations in the applications in the biomedical fields have been brought about by issues such as the usage of toxic precursor chemicals, organic solvents, and creation of toxic by-products associated with current synthesis processes. To overcome this, the study related to facile synthesis of carbon nanoparticles using the leaves of an aquatic weed, Eichhornia crassipes was conducted. Eichhornia crassipes is an aquatic plant considered as a weed as they have no potential bioactivity. In this study, a simple burning of the leaves for the formation of biosoot resulted in formation of nanoparticles. The biosoot thus produced were characterized using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray powder Diffraction (XRD). The associated compounds along with the carbon nanoparticles were evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, and Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The DLS study revealed that the particles fall well below the size of 10nm and recorded the second peak in the size range of 200 - 990nm. SEM revealed the size range between 57nm to 194nm and the EDS recorded Carbon as a major material. The 2. value recorded in XRD corresponds to Carbon and the size range between 40-76nm. FTIR and GC-MS confirmed the presence of very few compounds associated with that of Carbon Nanoparticles. The study revealed the successful facile synthesis of Carbon nanoparticles in the form of Biosoot of the plant Eichhornia crassipes. However they are found to be free of associated chemicals thus their application in pharmaceutical or cosmeceutical industry on its own is not possible. But, their advantage being they may be safe, biocompatible and act as a nanocarrier agent.