ZnO nanoparticles mediated by aqueous extracts of Dovyalis caffra fruits and the photocatalytic evaluations

The rising interests in the green routes to the synthesis of nanoparticles stemmed from different benefits of the approach including eco-friendliness, cost effectiveness, and non-toxicity with living tissues. This study presents the synthesis and evaluation of the photocatalytic properties of biomediated ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) obtained using Dovyalis caffra fruit extracts as reducing and capping agents. The ZnO nanoparticles were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The XRD result showed that the synthesized ZnO NPs have a hexagonal wurtzite structure, while the TEM images showed a rod-like morphology, arranged in bundles. The average size of the ZnO NPs, estimated from the TEM images, were 10.4 and 34.1 nm for the width and length respectively. The optical band gap energy (3.43 eV) obtained from the absorption spectrum revealed a blue shift compared to the bulk. The evaluation of the photocatalytic potential of the synthesized ZnO NPs showed an effciency of 71% against MB dyes.