Green Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles using Ficus racemosa Leaf Extract and Evaluation of their Antibacterial, Photocatalytic and Phytotoxic Properties

Ficus racemosa is a widely recognized medicinal plant found throughout India and commonly employed in traditional healing practices for a variety of therapeutic purposes.In this study, the phytochemical components of the aqueous leaf extract were first assessed using qualitative analysis, which verified the presence of key bioactive compounds including phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, and steroids.Following this, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were produced using the same extract via an environmentally friendly green synthesis method.The crystalline structure of the ZnO nanoparticles was confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, indicating an average crystallite size of 14.8 nm.Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the functional groups that contributed to the reduction and stabilization of the nanoparticles.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles, and energy-dispersive X-ray EDX) analysis verified the presence of zinc and oxygen.The biological activities of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were further explored using antibacterial, photocatalytic, and phytotoxicity assays.The nanoparticles showed strong antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria, demonstrating greater effectiveness against Gram-positive strains.Studies using methylene blue and UV light revealed a 95% degradation rate within 60 minutes through photocatalysis.Additionally, the phytotoxicity was evaluated using the Allium cepa root growth inhibition assay, which revealed toxicity that varied with concentration, with an EC50 of 33.63 ± 0.70 µg mL -¹.These results indicate that ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using Ficus racemosa show strong potential for antimicrobial applications and environmental cleanup.