One-step green synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract of Teucrium polium and their catalytic application in dye degradation

Green synthesis of materials have received increasing attentions in the field of nanotechnology due to its characteristics of low-cost, high-efficiency, non-toxicity, and eco-friendly manner In the present study, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were successfully synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Teucrium polium as a low-cost and simple green technique to evaluate their effective applicability as dye degradation nanomaterial. The synthesis part comprises the reaction of Fe3+ to obtain spherical-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 5.68 to 30.29 nm, which were further characterized using various techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analysis (PSA), x-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Additionally, the dye degradation activity of these nanoparticles was studied with the degradation of model dye methyl orange (MO). Remarkably, the results showed that the green synthesized IONPs were able to decolorize MO dye with 73.6% efficiency in a 6-h reaction, and so have the potential to serve as effective catalyst for environmental remediation.