Biofabrication of CeO₂ nanoparticles, characterization, photocatalytic, and biological activities

Abstract

In this present work, the leaf extract of Ocimum sanctum (O. sanctum) stabilized biofabrication of ceria nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) were achieved. The XRD pattern of CeO₂ NPs reveals the cubic structure. The bandgap energy (E_g) of the as-prepared and annealed CeO₂ NPs observed were 2.65 and 2.63 eV, respectively. The XRD pattern confirms the face-centered cubic structure of the nanoparticles. The FTIR study reveals the presence of Ce-O stretching frequency at 400 cm⁻¹. The HRTEM images confirm the spherical shape particles. The photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV-Visible irradiation by biosynthesized CeO₂ NPs was studied. The MB degradation of as-prepared and annealed NPs was 90 and 60 min, respectively. Antibacterial activity of biofabricated CeO₂ NPs was studied. The cytotoxic effects of NPs against A431 human skin cancer cells compared to normal cells revealed the possible use of these NPs as an anticancer agent.

Keywords:

• Biofabrication
• CeO₂
• A341 cells
• cytotoxicity
• antibacterial activity
• methylene blue