Microwave-Assisted Green Synthesis of Bi2O3Nanoparticles Using Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jack Fruit) Peel Extract for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceutical Contaminants.

Microwave-assisted green synthesis has become a promising and efficient sustainable method of fabrication of nanomaterials. In the current experiment, the synthesis of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) nanoparticles was done in the presence of ethanolic extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus (jackfruit) peels as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The detailed characterization was performed by UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, DLS, zeta potential, and SEM. The analyses of the plant extract using GC-MS revealed the presence of bioactive phytochemicals, including phenolics and flavonoids, which are important in the formation and stabilization of nanoparticles. SEM analysis indicated a cauliflower-type granular morphology and a mean particle size of around 97 nm, which was similar to DLS results (99 nm hydrodynamic size). XRD was used to verify that the Bi2O3 nanoparticles were crystalline. The photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles produced was tested to degrade ciprofloxacin (CIP) and ibuprofen (IBU) during optimized conditions of pH, catalyst dosage, and contact time under natural sunlight. The degradation process was carried out under pseudo-first-order kinetics and obtained high removal efficiencies of 93% and 92% for CIP and IBU, respectively.