ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Sol–gel auto-combustion synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles fabricated with Eucalyptus honey and Longan honey as combustion fuels for water treatment

M. Narasimha Murthy, M. Gopi Krishna, G. Chandrakala, and C. J. Sreelatha

Department of Physics, Vaagdevi Degree and P.G. College, Hanamkonda, India

E-mail: sree_phy_ku@yahoo.co.in

Received: 12 June 2024  Accepted: 25 September 2024

Abstract:

Clean, non-toxic water is currently one of the most essential natural resources in today's world. The provision of a pure drinking water system means the adoption of an eco-friendly water treatment mechanism for the removal of toxic chemicals and biological contaminants like organic dyes, bacteria, and fungus. To address this issue, a cost-effective sol–gel auto-combustion synthesis technique was adopted to form zinc oxide nanoparticles using Eucalyptus honey and Longan honey as combustion fuels. The effects of honey fuels on the structural and surface morphologic characteristics were examined using experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electronic microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy investigations. The synthesized nanoparticle's hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure was validated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum analysis. Particles with a spherical shape were seen in electron micrographs, and the particles fabricated using Eucalyptus honey as fuel have lower particle sizes than those made using Longan honey. The goal of this study is to investigate how the combustion fuels used affect the synthesized nanoparticles' photocatalytic, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. The obtained data showed that ZnO nanoparticles made with Eucalyptus honey fuel had a higher photodegradation efficiency of around 95.77% following 105 min of light exposure. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay and well diffusion technique were adopted to assess the antioxidant and E. coli microorganism antibacterial activity. The ZnO nanoparticles synthesized with Eucalyptus honey as fuel demonstrated more potent antioxidant and antibacterial effectiveness than those prepared with Longan honey fuel.

Keywords: ZnO nanoparticles; Honey; Sol–gel; Photocatalysis; DPPH; E. Coli

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03721-x

Chemical Papers 79 (1) 109–122 (2025)