Green synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Artemisia pallens plant extract

The green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles from plant extract is attracting great interest owing to the cost effectiveness and ecofriendly method of synthesis. Crystalline hexagonal shape zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles of approximately 50-100 nm were synthesized through a one-step solution-based technique using alcohol free Artemisia pallens plant extract as a reducing agent. Analysis of the synthesized nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) exhibited homogenous wurtzite structure. TEM and selected area electron diffraction studies showed the zinc oxide nanoparticles are crystalline and hexagonal with growth direction in (101) plane. Fourier transform infrared spectrum showed a single band at 478.34 cm(-1) which can be attributed to Zn-O vibrational band. The composition of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles was then confirmed through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results. In this work, the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles was studied. The development of synthesizing metal nanoparticles (MNPs) by plant extracts has become a major focus of research as these nanoparticles have low environmental hazards and low human toxicity. This makes it a commonly used source of nanoparticle synthesis with an efficient, extremely eclectic, relatively cheap and traditional agent that has been used for many years to successfully prepare different organic molecules and compounds.