Green Synthesis of Plant-Extract-Mediated Metal Nanoparticles for Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Applications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29284/8agjvy82Keywords:
Green Synthesis, Process-Structure-Performance, ZnO, Fe3O4, Photocatalysis, Supercapacitor, Renewable Energy.Abstract
This study presents a quantitative study design of plant-mediated synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles and advances past empirical studies. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were prepared using the pomegranate peel extract with pH (8, 10, 12) and extract concentration (10, 30, 50% v/v) as the only variables. PH controlled crystallinity and the optimum concentration varied according to the application. ZnO nanoparticles prepared at 30% and pH 10 concentration attained 95 percent of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue at a rate constant of 0.032 min-1. Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared under similar conditions had a high specific capacitance of 285 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, 72 of the capacity retentions at 5 A g-1 and 88% retention at 5000 cycles. The natural phytochemical capping layer was used to improve performance through interfacial interactions in photocatalysis and charge transfer in supercapacitors. The present work introduces a green synthesis paradigm that is scalable, which connects sustainable chemistry to high-performance materials, which will be used in renewable energy applications.
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