Green synthesis and antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanostructures Punica granatum shell extract

Abstract

The manufacture of nanoparticles (NPs) is a new area of investigation due to potential applications related to the improvement of new technologies; in particular, environmentally safe manufactured nanomaterials have become a growing area within nanoscience. In this research, we synthesized zinc oxide (ZnO)-NPs using an aqueous extract of Punica granatum shell prepared using the green synthesis method. The ZnO-NPs were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The XRD patterns illustrated a single phase hexagonal (wurtzite) structure. The FE-SEM micrographs revealed the formation of erythrocyte-like structures and the average particle sizes were found to be 30-180 nm. The UV-visible measurements showed that the average optical transparency is over 85% in the visible range. The electrical conductivity values of the nanostructured ZnO-NPs were between 7.07×10-7 and 3.31×10-4 Ω-1 cm-1 in the temperature range 25-650°C. In addition, the ZnO-NPs did not show any antimicrobial affect against a Gram-positive bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis).