Green synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Laurus nobilis (bay leaf): antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Amalgamation of nanoparticles using “Green Technology” is an intensive field of research due to the increase in the need for the development of new antimicrobial materials. This method is meritorious both in environmental and economic aspects. In the present study, synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) was done using the aqueous extract of Laurus nobilis (bay leaf). The characterization was done using UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size, and zeta potential analyses. Successful production of nanoparticles was confirmed by the presence of spherical-shaped TiO2 NPs with the size of ~ 100 nm. The nanoparticles were tested against pathogens to determine their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The antimicrobial and antifungal activities with various concentrations for the generated TiO2 NPs were investigated and the results showed that the synthesised nanoparticles manifested a good inhibitory activity against both the tested bacteria and the fungal strain. Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger showed better zone of inhibition against nanoparticle. The observation is that the inhibition zone increases proportionately with the increased nanoparticles concentration. The as-prepared nanoparticles were also subjected to free radical scavenging ability using DPPH and hydrogen peroxide assays. TiO2 NPs revealed a strong antioxidant activity when compared with ascorbic acid standard. Current study concludes that the concocted TiO2 NPs, using L. nobilis bay leaf, can be scaled up for large-scale industrial production, which would be eco-friendly, economic with a high productivity.