NICKEL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIS BY CHEMICAL REDUCTION TECHNIQUE AND IT’S APPLICATION AS ANTIMICROBIAL AND DYE DEGRADING AGENT

Nanoparticles are fascinating materials that find many applications in basic and applied research. The chemical reduction technique is one of the easiest methods for synthesizing Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles (NiO NPs) in low-temperature ranges. Nickel Nitrate Hexahydrate (Ni(NO₃)₂.6H₂O), Ascorbic acid, NaOH, and NaBH₄ were applied as starting reagents to synthesize NiO NPs. Noble metal oxide nanoparticles have been extensively utilized for many applications in the present scenario. In the present study, attention has been focused on the fabrication of NiO NPs synthesized by the Chemical Reduction Method (CRM). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, EDAX, and SEM Techniques. The optical band gap energy value has also been determined as 2.59eV from the UV-Vis spectrum. The nanometal oxide is subjected to photocatalytic activity on Congo red dye under solar irradiation and exhibits very good degrading ability within a few minutes of exposure. Its pharmacological activity is also analyzed using pathogenic organisms like Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escheria coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria and found to possess very good antimicrobial efficiency.