A biogenic approach, particularly plant-mediated synthesis, is currently regarded as the sustainable approach for synthesizing nanomaterials (NMs). The present investigation concentrates on the green fabrication of Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles (NPs), ZnO NPs, and Ag/Ag2O/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) via microwave irradiation using Murusi peel (MP) and Kew peel (KP) aqueous extracts and comparatively determine their antioxidant potentials. The synthesis parameters of Ag/Ag2O NPs, ZnO NPs, and Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs were optimized and characterized using different analytical techniques. Surface plasmon resonance peaks appeared at 448–450 nm, 350–370 nm, and 400–500 nm for Ag/Ag2O NPs, ZnO NPs, and Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs, respectively. The scanning electron microscopic images of both peel-mediated Ag/Ag2O NPs depicted quasi-spherical shapes aggregating on the flake-shaped ZnO surface, leading to the Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs formation. Transition electron microscopic analysis revealed the average particle sizes of MP and KP-mediated Ag/Ag2O NPs, ZnO NPs, and Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs as 13.58±1.32 nm, and 36.79±1.24 nm, 13.00±1.26 nm, and 10.28±1.25 nm, 28.37±1.39 nm, and 11.21±1.06 nm, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the synthesis of pure crystalline structures with a hexagonal wurtzite structure for ZnO and a face-centered structure for Ag and Ag2O during the formation of Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs. According to the research findings, MP and KP-mediated Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs displayed an enhanced free radical scavenging effect for DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay with IC50 values of 54.13±0.53 ppm and 51.41±1.27 ppm, respectively. At higher concentrations, the NCs exhibited a greater radical scavenging potential for ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay, with the IC50 values for MP and KP-mediated as 72.28±0.83 ppm and 65.78±1.29 ppm, respectively. Similarly, for the FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, MP and KP-mediated Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs demonstrated a higher antioxidant potential, expressed in terms of ascorbic acid equivalents (AE), which were 46±0.7 (AE) mg/1 g and 50±1.1 (AE) mg/1 g, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this study remains the first comparative analysis of synergistically enhanced antioxidant potential of the agro-waste mediated Ag/Ag2O/ZnO NCs with their respective NPs counterparts, Ag/Ag2O NPs and ZnO NPs. These research findings pave the path for sustainably utilizing these NMs in biomedical applications.
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