Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties

This study presents an ecofriendly and cost-effective method for synthesizing functionalized zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract. Adding leaf extracts during the synthesis of ZnO led to significant structural and morphological variations, as leaf extract funct...

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Main Authors: Anupam Halder, Gokul Raj Mohan, Saravanan Matheshwaran, Shikhar Krishn Jha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Next Materials
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002436
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author Anupam Halder
Gokul Raj Mohan
Saravanan Matheshwaran
Shikhar Krishn Jha
author_facet Anupam Halder
Gokul Raj Mohan
Saravanan Matheshwaran
Shikhar Krishn Jha
author_sort Anupam Halder
collection DOAJ
description This study presents an ecofriendly and cost-effective method for synthesizing functionalized zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract. Adding leaf extracts during the synthesis of ZnO led to significant structural and morphological variations, as leaf extract functions as a capping agent and influences the nucleation and growth of ZnO nanoparticles. The micrographs from TEM suggest that the leaf extract addition has significantly reduced the particle size on ZnO. FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed the presence of functional groups from the leaf extract, which altered the electronic structure and band gap energy. The neem-ZnO nanoparticles showed enhanced antibacterial activity when compared with its reported counterparts, at just 50 µg/ml against the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis and ∼400 µg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus. Further, the material displayed a distinct antibiofilm activity against the pellicle biofilm formation of Bacillus subtilis, expanding its utility in materials in biomedical engineering and medicinal applications. The tested materials were more effective against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria.
format Article
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institution OA Journals
issn 2949-8228
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Next Materials
spelling doaj-art-de80c66cb2bf4815b9b2f8cc0386874e2025-08-20T02:29:43ZengElsevierNext Materials2949-82282025-07-01810072510.1016/j.nxmate.2025.100725Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial propertiesAnupam Halder0Gokul Raj Mohan1Saravanan Matheshwaran2Shikhar Krishn Jha3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, IndiaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, IndiaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Centre for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Mehta Family Center for Engineering in Medicine, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Kotak School of Sustainability, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Corresponding author at: Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India.Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Kotak School of Sustainability, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Corresponding author at: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India.This study presents an ecofriendly and cost-effective method for synthesizing functionalized zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract. Adding leaf extracts during the synthesis of ZnO led to significant structural and morphological variations, as leaf extract functions as a capping agent and influences the nucleation and growth of ZnO nanoparticles. The micrographs from TEM suggest that the leaf extract addition has significantly reduced the particle size on ZnO. FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed the presence of functional groups from the leaf extract, which altered the electronic structure and band gap energy. The neem-ZnO nanoparticles showed enhanced antibacterial activity when compared with its reported counterparts, at just 50 µg/ml against the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis and ∼400 µg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus. Further, the material displayed a distinct antibiofilm activity against the pellicle biofilm formation of Bacillus subtilis, expanding its utility in materials in biomedical engineering and medicinal applications. The tested materials were more effective against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002436Green synthesis of ZnOAzadirachta indicaBacteriostatic activityAntibacterialGram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
spellingShingle Anupam Halder
Gokul Raj Mohan
Saravanan Matheshwaran
Shikhar Krishn Jha
Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
Next Materials
Green synthesis of ZnO
Azadirachta indica
Bacteriostatic activity
Antibacterial
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
title Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
title_full Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
title_fullStr Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
title_full_unstemmed Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
title_short Green synthesis of neem (Azadirachta indica) functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
title_sort green synthesis of neem azadirachta indica functionalized zinc oxide with enhanced antimicrobial properties
topic Green synthesis of ZnO
Azadirachta indica
Bacteriostatic activity
Antibacterial
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002436
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AT saravananmatheshwaran greensynthesisofneemazadirachtaindicafunctionalizedzincoxidewithenhancedantimicrobialproperties
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