article · Materials
Hexagonal zinc oxide nanoparticles have been successfully synthesised using a green method incorporating extracts of clove and Thymus capitatus. Produced at room temperature and dried at 80 degrees Celsius without high-temperature annealing, the resulting wurtzite nanoparticles possess an average particle size of 160 nanometres and a crystallite size of 30 nanometres. Analysis revealed a significant carbon content of 63.9 weight percent on the surface, confirming the presence of phytochemical coatings. These coated nanoparticles demonstrated strong antioxidant capacity, achieving a 95.2 percent DPPH radical scavenging rate. They also showed robust antimicrobial efficacy at 200 parts per million, generating notable inhibition zones against multiple Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, alongside marked antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The combined plant extracts effectively yielded nanoparticles with controlled morphology and high biological activity suitable for prospective biomedical uses.
Conventional nanoparticle manufacturing often relies on energy-intensive heating and hazardous chemicals. Producing functional zinc oxide nanoparticles at room temperature with natural plant extracts lowers processing energy requirements. Furthermore, the resulting natural surface coating provides potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal performance, offering an environmentally benign approach to developing biologically active nanomaterials for healthcare and laboratory environments.
The abstract positions this work as early-stage laboratory research directed towards biomedical applications. Because the synthesis eliminates high-temperature annealing, it could offer a lower-energy manufacturing route for antimicrobial and antioxidant nanomaterial developers. However, the findings remain bench-scale characterisation and in vitro testing, meaning practical commercial deployment will require substantial further formulation, safety validation, and scale-up studies.
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The green synthesis of ZnO NPs is becoming increasingly valued for its cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits. This study successfully synthesized hexagonal ZnO NPs using a combination of clove (<i>Syzygium aromaticum</i>) and <i>Thymus capitatus</i> extracts. The use of both extracts significantly improved the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the ZnO NPs. By optimizing synthesis conditions, including ZnCl<sub>2</sub> and extract concentrations, hexagonal wurtzite ZnO NPs were produced at room temperature with only drying at 80 °C without high-temperature annealing. The synthesized ZnO NPs exhibited a hexagonal morphology with an average particle size of 160 nm and a crystallite size of 30 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) confirmed the elemental composition of the ZnO NPs, showing a high carbon content (63.9 wt.%), reflecting the presence of phytochemicals from the extracts coated the ZnO NPs surface. The UV-Vis spectrum revealed an absorption peak at 370 nm and a bandgap energy of 2.8 eV due to lattice defects caused by organic impurities. The ZnO NPs demonstrated exceptional antioxidant activity, with a DPPH radical scavenging rate of 95.2%. They also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with inhibition zones of 25 mm against <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, 26 mm against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, 24 mm against <i>Salmonella typhimurium</i>, 22 mm against <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>, 21 mm against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, 20 mm against <i>Staphylococcus hominis</i>, and 18 mm against <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> at 200 ppm. Furthermore, significant antifungal activity was observed against <i>Candida albicans</i>, with an inhibition zone of 35 mm at the same concentration. These findings underscore the effectiveness of using combined plant extracts for producing ZnO NPs with controlled morphology and enhanced biological properties, highlighting their potential for various biomedical applications.
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DOI: 10.3390/ma17174340
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