Green synthesis of Se-Nanorods using Poly Anionic Cellulose (PAC) and examination of their photocatalytic and cytotoxicity effects

Abstract

In this work, Selenium nanorods in Poly Anionic Cellulose (PAC-Se nanorods) were synthesized through a green chemistry method that involved the usage of sodium selenite salt (Na2SeO3) as the supplier of selenium, as well as PAC as a reducing and structure-directing agent. The PAC-Se nanorods were identified using UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, TEM, FESEM, and EDX techniques. According to the collected data, a bandgap of 4.85 eV was detected throughout the UV–Vis spectrophotometry for the crystalline PAC-Se nanorods that was corresponding to a blue shift. The obtained XRD pattern confirmed the hexagonal crystalline phase of PAC-Se nanorods while displaying a particle size of about 20 nm. Next to the clear proofs that were presented by FESEM and TEM images regarding their morphology and diameter, the results of the EDX analysis proposed the purity of these nanorods. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of PAC-Se nanorods was examined on Rhodamine B (RhB) dye degradation under UVA-light. In conformity to the outcomes, PAC-Se nanorods contain great potential for functioning as an effective photocatalyst to eliminate the RhB dye of wastewaters. To conclude the work, the performed assessment on the cytotoxicity of PAC-Se nanorods against CT26 cell lines (a murine colorectal carcinoma cell line) reported cytotoxicity at concentrations greater than 800 μg/mL.