Zinc oxide nanoparticles fabrication using Eriobotrya japonica leaves extract: Photocatalytic performance and antibacterial activity evaluation

In the present investigation, ZnO NPs was fabricated using Eriobotrya japonica leaves extract. The E. Japonica leaves powder was extracted and mixed with 0.2 M zinc nitrate in 2:4 ratio and pH was adjusted using ammonia solution. Different techniques including UV–Visible spectroscopy (U.V-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques were employed to characterize the synthesized ZnO NPs. The peak at 375 nm was observed for ZnO NPs, while the average particle size was 13.0 nm. The elemental composition analysis revealed the NPs was highly pure having irregular platelets shape with aggregates tendency. The as-prepared ZnO NPs was analyzed for their photocatalytic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The ZnO NPs exhibited a promising DPPH scavenging activity and was highly active against S. aureus, P. multocida, E. coli and B. subtilis strains. The photocatalytic activity (PCA) was appraised against the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye and we found 72% degradation within 160 min of treatment. Since the synthesized NPs have shown promising bioactivity and PCA, the synthesis of these NPs using E. japonica leaves extracts is suggested for different applications.