Plant-based synthesis of ZnO–CeO2–MgO nanocomposite using Ocimum Basilicum L seed extract: Biological effects and photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Recently, ternary nanocomposites have attracted the attention of researchers because of their extraordinary photocatalytic, biological, and optical attributes. In this study, for the first time, ZnO–CeO2–MgO ternary nanocomposite successfully was synthesized by green chemistry approach using Ocimum Basilicum L extract seed as a stabilizing agent. This perspective is noteworthy because it could reduce the environmental impacts of chemical synthesis methods. Various methods, including X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM)/Mapping/Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized to assess the structural, morphological, and size of the nanocomposite. According to the XRD and FESEM results, the crystal structure and spherical morphology of the nanocomposite were confirmed. The photocatalytic activity of the produced ternary nanocomposite was assessed for degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye below UV irradiation. The results show that nanocomposites have potential applications in wastewater treatment. Finally, the MTT method was carried out on Huh-7 cancer cells to determine the cytotoxicity of the produced nanocomposite, so that the dose-dependent cytotoxic behavior of the nanocomposite was reported with an IC50 value of about 500 μg/mL.