Eco-Environmentally Friendly Green Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Mentha Pulegium

Abstract

In recent years, the nanoparticle synthesis methods conducted by plants replaced the traditional chemical procedures of nanoparticles preparations. This study demonstrates the environmental kindly preparations of aluminum oxide nano particles (Al2O3-NPs) using leaf extract of Mentha pulegium plant. The obtained Al2O3-NPs characterized by Ultra Violet /Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The presence of the sharp peak at 262 nm in the Ultra Violet /Visible spectrum and the color changed by surface plasma resonance explains that the Al2O3-NPs formed. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum of Al2O3 nanoparticles reported the elemental composition of our sample, which found to consist of 30.49% Al and 56.28% O, confirming the high purity of the Al2O3-NPs powder.FTIR analysis explains that bioreduction of Al+3 ions and nanoparticle stabilization probably occurred by interactions between the biofunctional groups of Mentha pulegium extract and aluminum. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis reported loosely agglomerated nanoparticles with each other, resulting inrough, sticky, an irregular and porous morphology shape. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies suggested their crystalline feature by the characteristic peaks at 2θ= 21.2°, 36.5°, 46.3°, 61° and 66.5°, corresponds to the lattice planes (220), (311),(400), (511) and (440) respectively. The average crystallite size for Al2O3-NPswas found to be 35 nm. It is found that Al2O3-NPs prepared by leaf extract are stable. This procedure of preparation is less toxic and cost of preparation is low as compared to other chemical and physical procedures.