Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using leaf extract of Thymus pubescens and their antibacterial activity

In this study, ZnO nanoparticles less than 30 nm in spherical shape and using simple and eco-friendly method was fabricated. ZnO nanoparticles in between of metal oxides have maximum interest because they are inexpensive to produce, safe and can be prepared easily. This metal oxid has potential applications like antibacterial, antifungal, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and antioxidant. In the present article, Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by both chemical and green methods. Thymus pubescens leaf extract was used as a reducing agent and stabilizer in the green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. The crystalline structure, chemical elements, morphology, weight variations, functional groups, and optical characteristics of the fabricated ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TGA, FT-IR, and UV-vis DRS instruments. The results of the XRD and SEM were confirmed the size and morphology of nanoparticles less than 30 nm in spherical shape. Furthermore, the presence of some biocompounds from the extract on the prepared nanoparticles was recorded by TGA, FT-IR, and UV-vis DR spectra. The anti-bacterial activities of the nanomaterials were studied by CFU method. The biological function of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles showed a favorable anti-microbial efficacy against gram-negative (E. coli) and gram positive (S. aureus) bacteria. Our results indicated that the fabricated ZnO nanoparticles using Th. pubescens leaf extract, against E. coli (13.1 ± 0.46) have the highest anti-bacterial activity than that of S. aureus (17.8 ± 0.35). Therefore, the ZnO nanoparticles can be introduced as a potential proficient disinfectant.