Facile and Green Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles for the Degradation of Victoria Blue Dye under UV Irradiation and their Antibacterial Activity

This paper reports the successful green synthesis of highly pure and crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles from tea extract, which were employed for the bacterial disinfection and potential photocatalyst for the degradation of victoria blue dye. The crystallite size, structural behavior, optical and morphological studies were characterized by numerous analytical and spectroscopic techniques, viz. powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Powder XRD study revealed the cubic structure of MgO nanoparticles. FTIR indicates the presence of functional groups such as carboxylic and strong metal-oxygen bond stretching. Microscopic imaging analysis revealed that MgO nanoparticles are spherical in shape and the average particle size was observed to be around 45-50 nm. The as-synthesized MgO nanoparticles exhibited moderate antibacterial activity towards different bacterial strains with a medium zone of inhibition of 7-10 mm. Furthermore, MgO nanoparticles were employed as a potential photocatalyst for the efficient degradation of victoria blue dye under UV light illumination, i.e., around 88% over 90 minutes. Hence, the current study offers a fascinating pathway for designing the efficient nanoparticles via greener routes for the wastewater remediation.