DFT, molecular docking, photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity of coumarin enriched Cinnamon bark extract mediated silver nanoparticles

Abstract

• Silver nanocatalysts synthesized by simple precipitation process. • Structural phase formation shows Face centred cubic structure. • The photocatalytic degradation of cationic dye and antimicrobial activity were examined. • Silver nanocatalyst shows maximum degradation efficiency of 96% for MB. Water pollution is a severe and urgent issue on a global scale. Nanoparticles are capable of purifying contaminated water. Using plant extracts for green nanoparticle manufacturing minimises hazardous chemicals or energy requirements. This paper focuses on the eco-friendly synthesis of plasmonic Ag nanoparticles from cinnamon-derived natural materials and its potential in biomedicine, water treatment, and catalysis. An SPR peak confirmed the reduction of Ag + ions to Ag o nanoparticles at 449 nm in UV–Vis spectroscopy. The XRD and TEM analyses indicate FCC and polydisperse nanoparticles with a spherical shape. Under visible light illumination, the photocatalytic activity of plasmonic AgNPs was evaluated against Methylene Blue (MB) dye. After 120 minutes, plasmonic Ag NPs displayed high antibacterial activity and 97% photo degradation efficiency. Metallic Ag NPs exhibited more catalytic activity than commercial TiO 2 NPs. According to DFT experiments, coumarin in cinnamon bark reduces Ag + ions to Ag o . To the best of our knowledge, the current paper is the first to use cinnamon-mediated plasmonic Ag photocatalysis for efficient antibacterial action and degradation of MB dye.