Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Azadirachtaindica Leaves Extract and its Characterization and Application in the Degradation of Methylene Blue

Use of plant materials has been considered a green route and a reliable method for the synthesis of nanoparticles owing to its environmental friendly nature. Hence an attempt has been made to synthesize the Zinc oxide nanoparticle using aqueous neem (Azadirachtaindica) leaf extract. The aqueous leaf extract acts as a solvent with manifold roles as promoter, stabilizer and template for the synthesis of nanoparticles. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticle was characterized using SEM analysis and XRD analysis. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were pure, predominantly spherical in shape with size ranging from 9.6 to 25.5 nm. The biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles showed photocatalytic activity under the UV light enhancing the degradation rate of methylene blue (MB), which is one of the main water- pollutant released by textile industries. The biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles showed photocatalytic activity under the UV light enhancing the degradation rate of methylene blue (MB), which is one of the main water- pollutant released by textile industries.