Title : Exploration of photocatalytic and biological applications of plant derived Fe3O4-ZnO heterojunction
Abstract:
The main driving factor for the rising interest in plant derived raw material for the synthesis of green nanoparticles is the biocompatibility, which makes them suitable for therapeutic applications. In this work, Zingiber officinale plant extract was used to fabricate ZnO and Fe3O4-ZnO heterojunction. Heterojunction was synthesized using one-pot synthesis route, and plant extract was employed as a capping and stabilizing agent. The existence of crystal planes corresponding to both ZnO as well as Fe3O4 in XRD analysis validated the heterojunction’s successful creation. Decrease in crystallinity and peak intensities compared to bare ZnO nanoparticles corresponded to drop in structural properties. Nevertheless, no distinctive impurity peak was seen. Successful incorporation of organic parts from the plant extract was attributed to the presence of peaks corresponding to the stretching and bending of various functional groups like C-H, O-H, C=O, and C-O. SEM analysis indicated the aggregation of the nano-sized particles. UV-Visible measurement revealed the decrease in band gap upon forming the nanohybrid junction. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized samples was tested against methylene blue. Various parameters such as catalyst concentration, pH, irradiation source, and H2O2 concentration were optimized. Further, the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the synthesized samples were tested.
