Highly antimicrobial activity of cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Moringa oleifera leaf extract by a rapid green precipitation method

Abstract

Nanoparticles of cerium oxide have been synthesized by green precipitation method by the presence of Moringa oleifera leaf extract with a short reaction time of 5 h. Base on XRD analysis confirmed structure crystal of cerium oxide the formation was a cubic. CeO2NPs were discovered to have a spherical shape and an average size of 17 nm, as shown in the TEM image. The formation of CeO2NPs was furtherly proven by EDX measurement in the presence of high-intensity peaks referred to Ce and O, with no impurities. The result after FTIR analysis of the nanoparticles demonstrates the appearance of Ce–O stretching, as well as the O–N–O bending disappearance. Based on the DRS UV–Vis analysis result, the band gap energy of CeO2NPs was found to be 18% lower than the bulky size. The synthesized CeO2NPs exhibit a high antimicrobial activity in the range of 15–31 mm zone inhibition.

Keywords

• Cerium oxide
• Moringa oleifera
• Precipitation method
• Green synthesis
• Photocatalyst
• Biomedical application