Citrus maxima (Pomelo) juice mediated eco-friendly synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles: Applications to photocatalytic, electrochemical sensor and antibacterial activities

In the present work, Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO Nps) have been successfully prepared through a simple, effective and low cost solution combustion method using Zn (NO3)(2)center dot 6H(2)O as an oxidizer, chakkota (Common name = Pomelo) fruit juice as novel fuel. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates the hexagonal wurtzite structure with average crystallite size of similar to 22 nm. ZnO Nps were characterized with the aid of different spectroscopic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Photoluminescence and UV-Visible spectroscopy. FTIR shows characteristic ZnO vibrational mode at 393 cm(-1). SEM images show that the particles are agglomerated. TEM image shows the size of the particles are about 10-20 nm. Further, in order to establish practical applicability of the synthesized ZnO Nps, photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as a model system was studied in presence of UV (665 nm) light. In addition to this, the antibacterial activity was screen against 3 bacterial strains and electrochemical sensor performance towards the quantification of dopamine at nano molar concentrations was also explored. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.