Photocatalytic degradation of malachite green and antibacterial potential of biomimetic-synthesized zirconium oxide nanoparticles using Annona reticulata leaf extract

The present study was emphasized to investigate the photocatalytic degradation of malachite green (MG) and antibacterial activity of zirconium oxide nanoparticles synthesized from Annona reticulata leaf extract (AR-ZrO₂NPs). The biologically synthesized AR-ZrO₂NPs were characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The UV–visible spectrum of AR-ZrO₂NPs showed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 256 nm. The XRD analysis exhibited that the AR-ZrO₂NPs were crystalline in nature. FT-IR revealed that the AR leaf extract has stabilized with the nanoparticles by a capping agent. In addition, electron microscopic results revealed that the AR-ZrO₂NPs were spherical in shape and found to be 13–20 nm range in size. The biologically produced AR-ZrO₂NPs have antibacterial action against Salmonella enterica serotype typhi, which is multi-drug-resistant. Furthermore, AR-ZrO₂NPs demonstrated exceptional degrading efficiency for MG, with about 87.4% elimination in 150 min of sunshine irradiation. As a result, this research concludes that AR leaf extract is a possible green resource for AR-ZrO₂NPs synthesis with multi-potential applications.