Zinc-Doping as a Strategy to Enhance Antimicrobial and Dye Degradation Properties of Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Sythesized from Sauropus androgynus (L.) Phytochemicals

The present work was designed to study the influence of zinc doping on the structural, biological and dye degradation properties of biogenic magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgOSA NPs). Pure MgOSA and zinc doped MgOSA NPs were synthesized using S. androgynus leaf extract as fuel. The obtained NPs were scrutinized for their morphological and surface properties through various techniques. The results of FTIR, FESEM, HRTEM and EDS studies accompanied by elemental mapping analysis evidenced the formation of targeted NPs. Whereas the PXRD analysis substantiated the formation of pure and zinc doped NPs with crystallite size 24.29 and 17.47 nm respectively. Additionally, the refinement of obtained PXRD data through Rietveld refinement corroborated the changes in cell parameters after zinc doping. The BET analysis performed divulged the mesoporous nature of NPs having surface areas 30.245 and 10.058 m²g⁻¹ respectively. The biocompatibility of NPs was confirmed via in-vitro anti-inflammatory study which exhibited % HRBCS up to 85.38 ± 0.003 and 87.42 ± 0.005 for MgOSA and ZnMgOSA NPs. The glucose-lowering potentiality via α-amylase inhibition assay manifested the appreciable in-vitro antidiabetic property of synthesized NPs (76.79 ± 0.001 and 77.24 ± 0.0005%). Also, the NPs exhibited antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas syringae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtulis. Furthermore, the photocatalytic experiments performed on Methylene Blue dye have revealed an excellent degradation efficiency of MgOSA and ZnMgOSA NPs with high stability and reusability.