Green synthesis of CuO/MgO/ZnO nanoparticles using Costus pictus leaf extract for effective antibacterial applications

Abstract

In recent years, environmentally friendly methods have garnered significant attention in developing novel nanoparticles (NPs). This study focuses on the green synthesis and characterisation of CuO/MgO/ZnO NPs using Costus pictus D. Don Plant extract as a green reducing and capping agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was employed to assess the purity of NPs, whereas Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and UV–Vis spectroscopy were employed to study the chemical composition and absorption peaks of the synthesised NPs. The Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images revealed a distinctive flower-like morphology of NPs, and their stability and dispersion were supported by a negative zeta potential of −14.8 mV. The significant surface area (87.742 m2/g) of CuO/MgO/ZnO NPs was obtained from Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis confirmed that the particle size of NPs is nearly 50 nm and is poly-crystalline. Finally, the synthesised NPs were tested against the bacteria using the agar-well diffusion method. Notably, CuO/MgO/ZnO NPs exhibited better antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, yielding a substantial inhibition zone of 23.33 ± 2.08 mm.