Synthesis and Characterization of Selenium and Copper Nanoparticles from Punica granatum Leaves Extract and its Antibacterial Activity

The plant contains different important phytochemicals that can be used as potential medicine for various ailments. This work describes a green synthesis approach for synthesizing copper oxide and selenium nanoparticles from Punica granatum leaves extract. The formation of CuNPs & SeNPs was monitored by UV-Visible, FT-IR, zeta, XRD and SEM techniques. The FT-IR spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups which are associated with the bioactive molecules, whereas the suspension solution confirmed the formation of SeNPs and CuNPs as done by UV analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study exhibits the amorphous nature for both SeNPs and CuNPs. The morphology and crystalline phase of the metal nanoparticles were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The CuNPs showed potent antibacterial activity whereas SeNPs showed considerable activity against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus). Both SeNPs and CuNPs exhibit efficient rhodamine B dye degradation in the presence of UV or sunlight. However, CuNPs have better catalytic degradation ability for rhodamine B dye as compared to SeNPs.