Abstract:
Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (Al-doped ZnO Nps) is known for its wide applications in biosensors, blue-UV light emitting diodes, transparent conducting oxide, semi-conductors, selective gas sensor and as efficient catalyst support. It is often synthesized through physical and chemical techniques which require toxic reagents, high vacuum structures and elevated temperatures which are expensive and hazardous. The need for healthier, eco-friendly and cost effective way of synthesizing this nanoparticle for use has made researchers to look into green synthesis. Green synthesis allows the metal oxide nanoparticles to be synthesized using natural plant extract as reducing agent on metal salt. This research work looks at the comparative green synthesis of Al-doped ZnO Nps using extracts of Neem leaf (Azadirachta Indica) and Bitter leaf (Vernonia Amygdalina) and their mixture to bio-reduce zinc acetate precursor. The synthesized Al-doped ZnO Nps were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD result show that Al-doped ZnO Nps formed using bitter leaf extracts had better peaks and highest amount of the nanoparticles formed (3.72 grams) using the same precursors compared to neem leaf extract and 50:50 neem/bitter leaf extracts mixture. Bitter leaf extract had thirteen diffraction peaks at 2? values of 200, 25.160, 27.10, 300, 32.460, 34.690, 37.120, 44.600,56.60, 57.620, 630, 68.80 and 76.760 indexed to (111), (004), (013), (020), (100), (014), (101), (320), (110), (107), (103), (112) and (202) planes of Al-doped ZnO Nps with an average crystallite size of 8nm. Neen leaf extracts had five diffraction peaks at lower 2? values of 20.590, 25.110, 27.200, 37.290 and 44.010 indexed to (111), (004), (013), (101) and (320) planes of Al-doped ZnO Nps with average nanoparticles size of 7nm. The 50:50 mixtures of both extracts had five peaks at 25.040, 37.860, 43.440, 48.580 and 74.930 indexed to (004), (101), (320) (102) and (202) planes of Al-doped ZnO Nps. The nanoparticles had hexagonal structures of Al-doped ZnO Nps. The slight deviation observed in some peaks compared to Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards might be attributed to the presence of metallo proteins or bio-organics present in the extracts. The SEM image showed rough morphologies for all the Al-doped ZnO Nps synthesized using the different leaf extracts and their 50:50 mixture.
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