A facile green synthesis route to novel MgO-Ag nanoparticles using Pistacia atlantica leaf extract (MgO-Ag@PALE NPs) and its photocatalytic and antibacterial activity

In recent years, the utilization of a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for synthesizing nanoparticles for environmental and biomedical applications has gained significant importance. To achieve this objective, MgO-Ag nanoparticles were synthesized using Pistacia atlantica leaf extract (MgO-Ag@PALE NPs). Characterization through FESEM, FT-IR, TEM, and XRD analyses confirmed the morphology, size, and purity of the synthesized nanoparticles. XRD analysis affirmed the absence of impurities in both pure MgO and MgO-Ag@PALE NPs. The TEM and FESEM results showed a stone-like morphology with sizes ranging from approximately 70 to 80 nm. Antibacterial efficacy against five standard bacteria strains was evaluated using the broth micro-dilution method. The green synthesized MgO-Ag@PALE NPs demonstrated remarkable antibacterial properties, particularly against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecalis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 250 µg/ml. The photocatalytic potential of both pure MgO and MgO-Ag@PALE NPs was assessed for the degradation of industrial effluents (rhodamine B and methylene blue) under UV light exposure. The biosynthesized MgO-Ag@PALE NPs exhibited a degradation rate of 94.32% for rhodamine B and 97.63% for methylene blue, highlighting their efficacy as nanocatalysts in photocatalytic applications. Meanwhile, the degradation percentage of rhodamine B and methylene blue pollutants for pure MgO nanoparticles was 88.64% and 90.41%, respectively. The results indicated that the doping of silver nanoparticles on magnesium oxide using Pistacia atlantica leaf extract can significantly enhance the degradation of pollutants. Consequently, our study demonstrates that MgO-Ag@PALE NPs can be highly beneficial in biomedicine and the purification of industrial pollutants.