ZnO Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs): Synthesis Using Tithonia diversifolia, Characterization and in-vitroAntimicrobial Bioassays

Abstract

ZnO is among leading metal oxide nanoparticles (MO-NPs). The conventional physical and chemical synthesis protocols require use of sophisticated equipment and many chemicals which may be hazardous. In this research, ZnO-NPs were prepared via a straightforward environmentally benign technique; employing Tithonia diversifolia as a reductant. Zinc nitrate solution was mixed with TDLE in the ratio of 3:1 respectively and incubated in an ultra-sonication bath. The precipitates were centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 15 minutes followed by washing with distilled water. A peak at 374 nm, as measured by UV-Vis, confirmed formation of nanoZnO.Presence of ZnO was shown by a new peak at 668.35 cm -1 in the ZnO-TDLE FTIR spectrum. The crystalline size of the sample was estimated as 20.91 nm by Debye-Scherer formula. Identification and quantification of elements was performed by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis, which showed 91.823% Zn in the sample. The synthesized nano-ZnO showed promising antibacterial activity. The bioactive nature of ZnONPs, as demonstrated in this research, puts the nano-ZnO at pole position for the formulation of novel antimicrobial agents