Screening of four accelerated synthesized techniques in green fabrication of ZnO nanoparticles using Willow leaf extract.

Using hydro-alcoholic extract of Willow leaf, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized via four accelerated different heating methods namely, Bain-Marie heating (40 °C for 2 h), Conventional heating with stirrer (80 °C for 2 h), hydrothermal autoclave (1.5 atm and 121 °C for 15 min) and microwave irradiation (800 W and 160 °C for 3 min). Calcination process was finally completed on the obtained colloidal solutions in a furnace (350 °C for 2 h). The characteristics of the resulted ZnO NPs including particle size, grain size, crystallinity, specific surface area, morphology, photocatalytic, antioxidant bactericidal activities were estimated using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy techniques. Attained results indicated that among four different utilized synthetic methods, the fabricated ZnO NPs via Bain-Marie heating, had desired physico-chemical characteristics and bactericidal effect including small particle size (70 nm), high specific area (284 m²/gr), antioxidant activity (28.5%), photocatalytic activity (degradation of 50% of Methylene Blue), and bactericidal effects against Escherichia coli (clear zone diameter of 1.4 ± 0.1 cm) and Staphylococcus aureus (1.3 ± 0.1 cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]