Ixora coccinea extract-mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles: photodegradative and antimicrobial studies

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was synthesized by green synthesis method using Ixora coccinea leaves extract as fuel. The structure and morphology of the product were characterized by Powder X-ray Diffraction, UV–Visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The nanoparticles (NPs) were subjected to photocatalytic and antimicrobial studies. PXRD pattern demonstrates that the formed product belongs to the cubic crystal system. SEM images show that the particles are agglomerated to form spherical like structure and the average crystallite sizes were found to be 20nm. The prepared Ag NPs exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) indicating that the Ag NPs are potential photocatalytic semiconductor materials. Ag NPs exhibit significant bactericidal activity against gram-positive (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes) and gram-negative (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria using the disc diffusion method. The study successfully demonstrates the synthesis of Ag NPs by simple eco-friendly route employing Ixora coccinea as a fuel that exhibits superior Photodegradative and antibacterial activities.