Fabrication of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Using Passiflora edulis Extract for the Estimation of Antioxidant Potential and Photocatalytic Methylene Blue Dye Degradation

Abstract

In the present work, copper oxide nanoparticles have been fabricated by using a biological method. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) have received more attention than other metal oxides due to their distinctive properties and applications. Plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles has gained the attention of researchers because of its simple and ecologically sustainable approach. The biosynthesis of CuO NPs included the use of Passiflora edulis leaf extract that acts as a stabilizing and reducing agent. A non-toxic, cost-effective, and ecologically acceptable method was the use of plant leaf extract in the biogenesis of nanoscale materials. UV-vis, SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques were used to examine the biologically produced copper oxide nanoparticles. The findings of the SEM examination, which gives morphological information, demonstrate that the synthesized NPs have a spherical shape and have an average particle size of between 60 and 65 nm. CuO has been further investigated in the current study as a photo-catalyst in the methylene blue (MB) dye degradation and as an antioxidant in free radical scavenging activities. The decolorization efficiency was approximately 93% after 160 min. Furthermore, CuO nanoparticles were tested for antioxidant performance by scavenging 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate free radicals (DPPH) and evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The result showed that biologically synthesized CuO NPs can be used as an effective antioxidant. The half maximal inhibitory concentration IC50 of copper oxide nanoparticles was found to be in the range of 0.13–0.20.