Bio-synthesize of photocatalytic Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles using Leucas aspera and Jatropha podagrica leaf extract for an effective removal of textile dye pollutants

In this study, Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were produced by using Leucas aspera and Jatropha podagrica leaf extract by simple green-synthesis technique. The synthesized nanostructures were analyzed by using various characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, UV-DRS, SEM-EDX and TEM analysis. The XRD results show shows the formation of highly crystalline nanoparticles with the crystallite size of about 59.11 and 44.72 nm for FOLA and FOJP nanoparticles, respectively. The formation of highly agglomerated spherical nanoparticles was identified using SEM and TEM analysis. The highly pure nature of as-prepared green treated Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles was confirmed by EDX analysis. The UV-DRS results show the visible light absorption ability of green treated Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with bandgap energies of about 2.42 eV and 2.50 eV for FOLA and FOJP nanoparticles, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation ability of as-prepared FOLA and FOJP nanoparticles were examined against Methylene blue and Rhodamine B dye molecules. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of FOLA nanoparticles against MB and RhB was found to be 97% and 91%, respectively. The antibacterial properties of as prepared Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were studied against Escherichia coli bacterial strain and we observed great zone of inhibition.