article · RSC Advances
Zinc oxide nanoparticles can be produced via a green synthesis route using Elettaria cardamomum pod extract and a zinc nitrate precursor. The resulting material forms a wurtzite crystalline structure with an average particle size of 20.87 nanometres, exhibiting diverse shapes including hexagonal, spherical, rod-like, and pentagonal forms. Plant phytochemicals serve as natural capping and stabilising agents, ensuring high elemental purity. The synthesised nanoparticles demonstrate dual functionality for environmental remediation and antimicrobial tasks. Under ultraviolet irradiation, they act as an effective photocatalyst, achieving 99.8 percent degradation of malachite green dye within 160 minutes. Furthermore, the material displays notable antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, offering a sustainable nanomaterial suited for wastewater treatment and microbial control.
Conventional nanoparticle synthesis often relies on harsh chemicals and energy-intensive procedures. Utilising plant extracts such as cardamom pods offers a cleaner, bio-engineered method to produce functional nanomaterials. Because these particles can simultaneously degrade hazardous industrial dyes and neutralise pathogenic bacteria, they present a multifunctional, eco-friendly option for addressing industrial water contamination and microbial threats.
This material could enable sustainable treatment solutions for wastewater management and antimicrobial product development. Potential users include industrial dye processors, municipal water treatment facilities, and biomedical contamination control providers. As the demonstrated performance is restricted to laboratory-scale dye degradation assays and bacterial screening, the technology currently represents early-stage research that requires scale-up testing before practical adoption.
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This study presents an eco-friendly, bio-engineered approach for synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using <i>Elettaria cardamomum</i> pod (<i>EC</i>-pod) extract, offering a sustainable alternative for environmental remediation and antimicrobial applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the wurtzite crystalline phase, with an average particle size of 20.87 nm. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy reveals a characteristic absorption peak at 372 nm, corresponding to an energy band gap of 3.33 eV. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy highlights the role of phytochemicals as capping and stabilizing agents. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirm multi-architectural morphologies, including hexagonal, spherical, rod-like, and pentagonal structures, with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy verifying elemental purity. The photocatalytic efficiency of <i>EC</i>-pod:ZnO in degrading malachite green (MG) dye under UV irradiation reaches 99.8% removal within 160 minutes, with a high quantum yield of 2.73 × 10<sup>-3</sup> molecules per photon and a space-time yield of 1.37 × 10<sup>-5</sup> molecules per photon per mg. Additionally, <i>EC</i>-pod:ZnO exhibits significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>) and Gram-negative (<i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>) bacteria, showcasing its dual functionality as a potential photocatalyst and antimicrobial agent. This nature-inspired ZnO nanomaterial offers an economical, scalable, and sustainable solution for environmental and biomedical applications, highlighting its potential in wastewater treatment and microbial control.
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DOI: 10.1039/d5ra01469g
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