Musa AAA and Jatropha curcas L. sap mediated TiO₂ nanoparticles: Synthesis and characterization

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles were synthesized using East African highland banana (Musa AAA) and Jatropha curcas L. sap. The nanoparticles were characterized with X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FT-IR peaks show presence of amino, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on the crystal surface of the nanoparticles. XRD and Raman characteristic indicate anatase phases. The average crystallite size calculated from XRD peak width using Scherrer equation are 5.5 nm and 6.1 nm for Jatropha and Musa AAA sap TiO₂ particles respectively. SEM images show polydispersed spherical clusters of agglomerated nanoparticles. The nanoparticles showed antimicrobial activity against gram-negative bacteria when irradiated in natural sunlight for 2 h. The sap extracts provide a simple, cheaper and more environmentally benign reducing and stabilizing agents for transforming transition metal salts into nano-scale particles, which have wide range of industrial applications.