Green synthesis of cotton flower shaped nickel oxide nanoparticles: Anti-bacterial and tribological studies

Abstract

The goal of this study was to synthesize nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) by the sol–gel method, which involved the use of Cassia Fistula is a herbal and medicinal plant. The Cassia Fistula (CF) plant extract acts as a stabilizing and capping agent. Further, NiO-NPs were characterized using UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX). According to the results of UV–Visible, the absorption spectroscopy has displayed that the band gap is 3.5 eV. The biological properties were studied for prepared NiO-NPs. The antibacterial testes were examined using different bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus Epidermis and dose-dependent inhibition response was reported. The tribological tests are carried out using four ball testers in accordance with ASTM D4172-18 requirements. NiO-NPs are utilised as lubricating additives in poly alpha olefin (PAO4) base oil. NiO-NPs in PAO4 at a concentration of 0.5 wt% improved the coefficient of friction, and positive results are observed.