Green Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Using Maerua oblongifolia Root Bark Extract: Photocatalytic Degradation and Antibacterial Activities.

The root bark extract of the Maerua oblongifolia plant in the green synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) for photocatalytic degradation of toxic pollutants and antibacterial activities was implemented in this study. The root bark extract served as a novel capping and reducing agent for the first time. Characterization of the TiO2 NPs was conducted by using visual observation, ultraviolet visible spectrometry (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, confirming their successful synthesis. The TiO2 NPs exhibited maximum absorbance at 323 nm and an average particle size of 19.58 nm; the conjugations and existences of Ti-O and OH vibrational bands were revealed by the FTIR spectrum. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO2 NPs were investigated by using solar irradiation as an energy source for aqueous solutions of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes. The TiO2 NPs showed strong photocatalytic activities by degrading 97.23% MB and 91.8% MO under optimized conditions. Degradation behavior was investigated by isotherms and kinetics models, with the Langmuir isotherms (R2: 0.996, 0.979) and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (R2: 0.998, 0.997) highest correlation coefficients for MB and MO, respectively. Moreover, the antibacterial efficacy of the green-synthesized TiO2 NPs and the results indicated higher antibacterial activities on Gram-negative bacteria (27 ± 0.52). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]