Role of bio-derived zinc oxide nanoparticles in antifungal and photocatalytic activities

• Published in: Research on chemical intermediates 2020, Vol.46 (1), p.243-252
• Main Authors: Nourbakhsh, Mahsa, Darroudi, Majid, Gholizadeh, Mostafa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysis; Catalytic activity; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Contaminants; Field emission microscopy; Fungicides; Inorganic Chemistry; Methylene blue; Nanoparticles; Photocatalysis; Physical Chemistry; Synthesis; Ultraviolet radiation; X ray powder diffraction; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0922-6168; 1568-5675
• DOI: 10.1007/s11164-019-03946-6

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are known as a material in the treatment of environmental pollutions. In this study, ZnO-NPs were synthesized using Boswellia mukul gum. The characterization of synthesized ZnO-NPs was performed UV–Vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The obtained outcomes have illustrated that the synthesized nanoparticles had been in hexagonal shapes and contained a sheet form in the size of 20–50 nm. The antifungal assay of synthesized ZnO-NPs has been studied against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus , while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of both strains have been calculated to be 18 μg/mL. We have evaluated the photocatalytic activity of synthesized ZnO-NPs through the utilization of methylene blue (MB) (Q1/R4) under UV light. The photocatalytic results of MB dye show up to 70% degradation in 180 min, which indicates that the synthesized nanoparticles are capable of deteriorating artificial colors and can eradicate some environmental contaminants.