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A study was conducted to develop a cost-effective and eco-friendly method for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Ocimum Basilicum leaf extract (OBLE). The physical and chemical properties of the synthesized AgNPs were analyzed. The X-ray diffractogram of OBLE-mediated AgNPs (OBLE@AgNPs) exhibited face-centered cubic crystallinity with space group F m 3 ¯ m , which was confirmed by Rietveld refinement studies. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identified the functional groups of the phytochemicals present in OBLE at 3416 cm−1 and 1652 cm−1, indicating the presence of phenolic (−OH) content belonging to OBLE. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by a characteristic hump at 403 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum. The granular microstructure of OBLE@AgNPs showed well-interlinked grains with agglomeration and an average grain size of 22 nm. The anticancer activity of OBLE@AgNPs was evaluated against MDA-MD 231 breast cancer cell lines, and the results indicated dose-dependent cell viability with an IC50 value of 67.83 µg/mL. The present study demonstrated a simple and environment-friendly method for synthesizing AgNPs using OBLE, which could potentially be used in various biomedical applications. Highlights: OBLE@AgNPs exhibit face-centered cubic crystal structure with Fm 3 ¯ m space group. OBLE@AgNPs showed well-interlinked grains with an average grain size of 22 nm. FTIR spectrum of OBLE@AgNPs confirmed the presence of phytochemicals of OBLE. Low IC50 (= 67.83 µg/mL) was obtained for the cytotoxic activity of OBLE@AgNPs against MDA-MD 231 cancer cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study depicts, synthesis and physicochemical investigations of zinc oxide nanoflowers (ZnO NFs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile of ZnO NFs revealed that ZnO NFs exhibit hexagonal wurtzite-type structure of crystallinity with P63mc space group. Microstructural analysis displays a uniform flower-like shape of ZnO NFs with petals ranging from 1 to 2 μm and an overall size of 12 µm. The absorption spectrum of ZnO NFs showed characteristic peak at 365.7 nm with an optical energy band gap of 3.40 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO NFs was evaluated by exposing crystal violet (CV) dye to UV light in the presence of the ZnO NFs. The UV–Vis spectra showed a significant decrease in the intensity of the absorbance peak at ~ 590 nm, corresponding to the degradation of the dye. The degradation followed a first-order rate equation with a rate constant of 0.0404 min−1 and excellent fit to the experimental data (R2 = 0.987). Furthermore, the ZnO NFs displayed excellent reusability, with more than 90% removal efficiency after 5 cycles. These findings demonstrate the potential of ZnO NFs as an effective photocatalyst for removing toxicity from aqueous solutions. Hall effect measurements revealed the n-type character of ZnO NFs and their resistivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility were found to be 29 Ω cm, 7.53 × 106 cm−3, and 2.48 cm2/V s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study portrays, physicochemical investigations of pristine and Pd2+ modified ZnO nanoflowers (NFs) compositional series [Zn(1−x)PdxO NFs; where x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07] synthesized via sol–gel reaction route. X-ray diffractogram of all the compositions displayed hexagonal wurtzite type crystallinity with P63mc space group without any traces of impurities as confirmed from Rietveld refinement technique. It was found that the average crystallite size increased from 32 to 74 nm with Pd2+ intrusion in the crystal lattice framework of ZnO. FESEM micrographs depicted that the surface morphology of pure and Pd modified compositions exhibit flower-shaped surface morphology. The optical properties of as-synthesized NFs were carried out using UV–vis spectroscopy and it was observed that optical energy bandgap (Eg) decreased minutely by Pd2+ doping. To determine the gas sensing behavior of synthesized NFs, the prepared gel during material fabrication was used to cast thin films. The thin films were calcined at 600 °C for LPG gas sensing activity and it was observed that the transient curve shows a high response for the composition x = 0.03 for the concentration of 2000 ppm. The present result illustrates that synthesized NFs showed potential candidature for LPG gas sensing. The present study reveals synthesized NFs showed potential candidature for LPG gas sensing 80 °C with a gas sensitivity of 315%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]