Facile eco-friendly synthesis of magnesium oxide nanocarriers using Bauhinia variegata for biomedical and photocatalytic applications

Abstract

The synthesis of nanomaterials via organic compounds poses environmental threats. It paves the way for a sustainable green synthesis approach that is biologically safe, eco-friendly, and reduces environmental problems. Herein, an ecofriendly preparation of magnesium oxide nanocarriers (MgO NCs) using Bauhinia variegata leaves extract was presented. The plant leaves mediated MgO NCs were synthesized and characterized by different techniques. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to measure the hydrodynamic diameter and UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy to investigate the optical properties of MgO NCs. The structural properties of MgO NCs were analyzed through X-ray diffraction, chemical attachment by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed the average size of MgO NCs to be 13 nm and possessing a face-centered cubic structure. The antibacterial investigations were performed on E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella bacterial strains and showed the promising results. Further, the photocatalytic efficiency of MgO NCs has been evaluated for methylene blue dye under sunlight irradiation that demonstrated 93 % degradation of dye in 2 hours.

Keywords

• Green synthesis
• Magnesium oxide nanocarriers
• Antibacterial activity
• Photocatalytic degradation