Environmentally sustainable synthesis of MoO3 nanoparticles: Antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility assessment

Abstract

The eco-friendly synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) in the materials science and engineering research field has a great attraction, especially molybdenum-based nanomaterials. Recently, molybdenum-based nanomaterials have become popular in various industrial sectors due to their versatile properties. The current study deals with the synthesis of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) NPs using Terminalia arjuna bark extract. The prepared sample is annealed at different temperatures such as 100, 300, 500, and 700 °C. These samples are characterized by UV–vis, FTIR, and XRD techniques. The XRD analysis of the MoO3 NPs prepared at 700 °C reveals an orthorhombic structure with better crystallinity. The sample is annealed at 700 °C subjected to SEM, EDX, and TEM analysis. EDX elemental analysis reveals the presence of Mo (84.43 wt.%) and O (15.57 wt.%). TEM image interpretation shows the cubic and spherical-shaped particles ranging from 50 to 600 nm. The different concentrations of (1, 2.5, and 5 mg/ml) MoO3 NPs tested for antibacterial application. Better activity is noted against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 5 mg/ml. The biocompatibility assessment of synthesized MoO3 NPs was evaluated against the model organism Artemia salina nauplii. As a result, none of the tested concentrations revealed the mortality of A. salina nauplii.

Keywords

• Terminalia arjuna
• MoO3
• Antibacterial activity
• Biocompatibility