Ultrasound-assisted green biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application

Employing plant extracts to obtain nanomaterials is an ecofriendly and highly appreciated synthetic approach. In this work a simple, green chemistry method, based on sol-gel, was used for ZnO nanoparticles synthesis by using two Sudanese medicinal plant extracts: Adanosia digitata (ZnO-A) and Balanites aegyptiaca (ZnO-B) under ultrasonic energy. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the formation of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO nanostructures, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis displayed their diverse morphologies. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data showed the impact of extract via the variation in of the O1s and Zn2p(3/2) and Zn2p(1/2) orbitals binding energy of Zn-O. The UV-visible investigation indicated a variation of bandgap energy (E-g), where the ZnO nanoparticles displayed the lowest E-g. The synthesized nanomaterials have exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency towards themethyleneblue (MB) dye. The findings revealed the possibility of obtaining nanoparticles with tailored properties by using plants extracts.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using plant extracts through a simple, green chemistry method, demonstrating their potential and sustainability in nanomaterial synthesis. Comprehensive analyses using techniques like XRD, SEM, XPS, and UV-visible spectroscopy provided insights into the structure, morphology, chemical properties, and optical performance of the synthesized nanoparticles, showing their effectiveness in photocatalytic dye degradation.