Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles by using <italic>Lallemantia royleana</italic> seed extract, characterization and evaluation of their hemolytic, and catalytic degradative properties.

Abstract Nanobiotechnology is the study of small biological structures ranging in size of 1-100nm. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a versatile inorganic molecule having strong antimicrobial, disinfecting and drying properties, useful in production of medicines. ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are metallic nano-particles with high catalytic, biological and UV-blockage properties. Aim of this study is to synthesize cost-effective and eco-friendly ZnO-NPs by using zinc-acetate-dihydrate and <italic>Lallemantia royleana</italic> seed-extract as reducing, stabilizing and capping agent. Biosynthesized ZnO-NPs were characterized by various analytical techniques. The characteristic peak of ZnO-NPs was measured at ∼382nm. FT-IR analysis revealed polysaccharide nature of <italic>L. royleana</italic>-extract and their functional group’s interaction with ZnO-NPs responsible for reduction and stabilization. SEM and XRD results revealed hexagonal-wurtzite structure of ZnO-NPs with average size of 18.26 nm. These ZnO-NPs possess strong anti-hemolytic and catalytic potentials. Our study showed that ZnO-NPs degrade organic pollutants effectively and can be useful for the purification of industrial effluents in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]