Chemical and sweet basil leaf mediated synthesis of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles: Antibacterial action toward human pathogens

The current study explores the bacterial inactivation of CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized via chemical co-precipitation (C-CeO2) and green synthesis (G-CeO2) route. In the green synthesis route, the sweet basil leaf extract is used as a reducing agent while CTAB acts as a surfactant in the chemical route. The structural, surface, and optical properties were studied by different physico-chemical techniques. X-ray diffraction pattern of CeO2 nanoparticles confirms face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal system. The crystallite size is reduced for the green synthesized CeO2 nanoparticles. The surface analysis reveals the formation of small-sized CeO2 nanoparticles with agglomeration. The antibacterial activity of C-CeO2 and G-CeO2 nanoparticles were analyzed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacterial strains which showed their potential for bacterial cell death.