Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under solar light irradiation by zinc oxide nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Cleome gynandra

A simple green synthetic technique is proposed for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using the plant extract Cleome gynandra as a bio-template. The morphological, functional and structural characterization of synthesized ZnONPs was investigated using several techniques, such as energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The synthesized ZnONPs have a wurtzite hexagonal nanostructure with an average size of 15.20 nm. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous solution was carried out using the synthesized ZnONPs. The photocatalytic activity of ZnONPs was investigated by adjusting physicochemical variables as reaction time, medium pH, precursor concentration, and photocatalyst dosage. All results indicate that ZnONPs produced by the green approach exhibits significant photocatalytic activity against dye molecules.