Photocatalytic and antibacterial biomimetic ZnO nanoparticles

The synthesis of nanoscale materials has gained considerable attention due to their excellent properties in photocatalysis and also as antimicrobials. More recently, bio-reduction mediated synthesis of such nanostructures has emerged as an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to traditional chemical synthesis. This study describes a strategy for extracellular bio-fabrication of highly stable ZnO nanoparticles from Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungus. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The obtained nanoparticles were then assessed for their antibacterial activity against E. Coli MTCC 1302. The photocatalytic performance of these nanoparticles was analyzed by reduction of model dye pollutant, i.e., 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). This study revealed excellent bactericidal and photocatalytic activity of bio-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. Finally, a potential mechanism for their photocatalytic property is proposed