Photochemical and Antimicrobial Testing of TiO2 Nanoparticles Obtained by a Green Synthesis Method

This work deals with phytochemical synthesis of TiO₂ nanoparticles by using leaf extract of Ficus benghalensis tree and evaluation of their antibacterial and photocatalytic activities. The synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Attenuated total reflectance Infrared, UV visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy techniques. The characterizations revealed formation of stable, spherical nanoparticles of anatase phase of TiO₂ with average diameter of 21 nm. The particles showed excellent antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria. The photocatalytic testing showed complete degradation of model pollutants from cationic and anionic dye family namely methylene blue (cationic dye) and methyl orange (anionic dye) that confirmed the excellent photocatalytic activity of the particles.