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This study describes the hydrothermal synthesis of cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using Mint extract agent. A mixture of 0.1 M copper nitrate and a mint extract was hydrothermally treated at a temperature of 180 °C for two hours. Meanwhile, the Mint leaf extract had reduced the copper ions of the nanoparticles after five minutes, resulting in dark-green precipitation. The structural and optical properties of the nanoparticles were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The nanoparticles showed a simple cubic structure with a crystallite size range of 22 nm ‒ 25 nm. According to the UV-Vis spectrum, an absorption peak was observed at 346 nm. The antibacterial activity was checked against Escherichia coli (E-coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B-subtilis) cultures by which the inhibition zones were found to be 35 mm and 38 mm, respectively. It is concluded that the CuO NPs have a good ability to resist microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium, the building block of white gold, has been found to exhibit extraordinary properties in nanotechnological products produced in recent years. The most prominent feature of palladium is adsorbing and storing high levels of hydrogen. Therefore, the demand for palladium in the world increased excessively in the 2000s. In the present study, palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) were biosynthesized by the extract of Diospyros kaki leaves as bio-stimulator. D. kaki, also called persimmon, was collected in a local area in Istanbul Turkey. PdNP formation was screened by analyzing UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 250-550nm. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscope which revealed that the biosynthesized PdNPs were in sizes ranging from 50 to 120 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy applied on both D. kaki leaf extract and PdNPs was used to decide on the reactive groups managing the reduction of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. Also, the PdNPs showed reasonably proficient antibacterial efficacy for both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and the zones of inhibition were found as 18 and 10.5 mm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]