Aqueous Extract of Saraca indica Leaves in the Synthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles: Finding a Way towards Going Green

Abstract

The present study is mainly aimed at the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles of varied size by green synthetic approach. The structural and morphological behavior of as-synthesized CuO nanoparticles were investigated using ultraviolet-visible spectral studies (UV-Vis), Fourier transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The reduction of copper ions using aqueous extract of S. indica leaves produces nanoparticles of varied size and morphology. The images from SEM investigation revealed that the particles are spherical in shape with average diameter of 40–70 nm. TEM and HRTEM images clearly indicate the crystallinity and spherical nature of as-synthesized CuO nanoparticles with interplanar distance between two neighboring lattice fringes of 0.315 nm.