Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by Myrtus communis plant extract with investigation of effect of precursor, calcination temperature and study of photocatalytic performance

Abstract

An elegant approach was made for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by Myrtus Communis plant extract using two different precursors at variable temperatures (400,600, and 800 °C). The properties of nanoparticles were investigated with PXRD, SEM-EDX, PL, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectrometer. PXRD results inferred that all samples have pure wurtzite phase confirming with JCPDS card No. 36–1451. The UV–Vis spectroscopy exhibited that all estimated bandgaps are a little less than those for bulk ZnO. It was confirmed by EDX spectra that Zn and O atoms are the main compositions of the material. FESEM images displayed hexagonal-like shapes of nanoparticles for all samples prepared with acetate. Hexagonal morphology was observed in the samples having green emission at room temperature PL measurements. It was seen that methylene blue degraded about 90 % after about 20 min of irradiation of UV light for samples calcined at 400 °C. It was also observed that the samples calcined at 400 °C degraded methylene blue by approximately 99 %. This work is the first paper on the morphological utilization and photocatalytic performance of green synthesized ZnO with Myrtus communis plant extract with various calcination temperatures via two different precursor reagents.