Laser ablation assisted preparation of MnO2 nanocolloids from waste battery cell powder: Evaluation of physico-chemical, electrical and biological properties

Abstract

The synthesis of nanocolloids (NCs) have been investigated extensively, different techniques were developed for the fabrication of NCs. Fabrication and modification of material using pulse laser ablation/irradiation in liquid (PLAL) has recently gained a much attention of scientific community in view of various advantages (no need of chemical precursors, purity of product, the eco-friendly nature and the cost/unit mass of materials produced). A single-step PLAL technique was adopted for the preparation of MnO2 NCs from waste battery cell powder (WBCP). The laser radiation (1064 nm) for 5 ns at 103 mJ cm−2 was used to prepare the MnO2 NCs. The MnO2 NCs was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX and UV–vis techniques. The electrical properties were also evaluated of MnO2 NCs at different energy levels and changes in conductance and specific capacitance were significant at low frequency (<200 Hz). The PLAL medium (water and methanol) significantly affected the optical properties. The antimicrobial activity was checked against set of bacterial strains and MnO2 NCs showed promising antibacterial activity in comparison with standard antibiotic rifampicin. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi were substantially inhibited by MnO2 NCs. These results suggest that MnO2 NCs could possibly be prepared by PLAL technique and might have application as antibacterial agent. This study offers a new approach to utilize the waste battery cell powder for preparation of MnO2 NCs.