Biogenic Synthesis of Al-Mn doped ZnO nanoparticles: morphology, structure & photocatalytic activity

Green nanoparticles synthesis is gaining popularity for numerous applications. This study developed a safe, cost-effective, and ecologically sound process for producing pure and Al- Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles from Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) fruit extract using Zinc Nitrate as the precursor. A number of characterization techniques confirm the morphological and structural characteristics. Undoped and doped ZnO nanoparticles were developed without the rutile phase, according to XRD analysis. The SEM image showed that Al-Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles were more agglomerated. 36.25 nm was the average size of pure ZnO NPs and it rises when doping level increases. The inclusion of Al and Mn into the ZnO lattice structure was verified via EDX analysis. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to evaluate the synthesized NPs' band gap energy and photocatalytic performance. Reduced band gap energy was revealed for 2% and 4% doped ZnO NPs. In addition, produced NPs had increased UV photocatalytic activity, especially for methylene blue degradation. The highest degradation rate was observed for 4% doping. This study found biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles to be effective water purifiers.