Vol. 12, Issue 8 (2023)

Author(s):
Ankit Agrawal, Neelesh Kapoor, Anil Sirohi, Pankaj Kumar, Rekha Dixit, Lokesh Kumar Gangwar and Prafulla Kumar

Abstract:
In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were successfully synthesized using a green approach with lantana camara leaf extract. The biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticles were optimized on the basis of various physiochemical parameters such as pH, temperature, incubation time, precursor type and concentration of capping agent which revealed that the zinc oxide nanoparticles were best optimized by using zinc nitrate heptahydrate as precursor with ph 7 at a temperature of 40oC for 4 hours and stabilized with the help of 2 molar sodium hydroxide. The synthesized nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized using modern analytical techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the crystalline nature of ZnO-NPs with an average particle size of 9.6 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images depicted rod-shaped nanoparticles with slight agglomeration, having a particle size ranging from 9.6 nm to 25.5 nm. UV-VIS spectroscopy results indicated significant absorption at 360 nm, corresponding to the ZnO-NPs. The results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) revealed certain functional groups such as alkenes, nitro compounds, aliphatic ethers and more present on the surface of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The study demonstrates the potential of ZnO-NPs synthesized from lantana camara leaf extract to enhance seedling growth, offering agricultural applications for improved seed germination and crop improvement.