Comparison of Pectin and Aloe vera Extract in Green Synthesis and Enhanced Stability and Antioxidant Activity of Calcium Nanostructure

Abstract

The current work aims to synthesize calcium nanostructure (Ca NS) using a green approach, given the growing trend of Ca NS in various sciences. We present the synthesis of Ca NS utilizing aloe vera extract and pectin extracted from citrus for the first time. Through the use of several analytical techniques, including ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the Ca nanostructures were verified and characterized. According to UV-Vis spectrum, a peak in the blue area of 204 nm for pectin–Ca NS indicated a small size nanoparticle. But for aloe vera/Ca NS, the presence of two blue and red peaks, at 227 and 401 nm, showed that nanoparticles with larger size than pectin/Ca NS. The results of the zeta potential showed that the synthesis of Ca NS with both pectin and aloe vera extracts is very stable. But pectin/Ca NS is more stable. In FT-IR and Raman spectrum, the presence of more peaks in pectin/Ca NS indicates a more complex structure and more agent groups than Aloe vera/Ca NS. In the XRD spectrum, in pectin/Ca NS and Aloe vera/Ca NS, calcium peak was well identified and showed that complete calcium synthesis has been performed. The SEM and TEM pictures of pectin/Ca NP and Aloe vera/Ca NS show the spherical shapes and average size around 4–18 nm for nanoparticles. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of Ca NSs was taken into account. The outcomes demonstrated that pectin has superior qualities and is a promising candidate for synthesizing Ca NSs. It was discovered that the Ca NSs had a very powerful anti-DPPH free radical effect.