Bio-synthesized tri-metallic nanoparticles using Phyllanthus emblica seeds for catalytic degradation and antimicrobial inhibition

This paper reports on the safe, reliable and sustainable biological synthesis of nanoparticles containing Zinc, Copper and Manganese using Phyllanthus emblica seed powder. The prepared Phyllanthus emblica seed /Zn-Cu-Mn (PES/ZCM) nanoparticles were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Elemental mapping, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. XRD revealed average crystallite size 15–20 nm. TGA indicated good thermal stability and BET verified mesoporous nature. Photocatalytic efficacy studies demonstrated that PES/ZCM nanoparticles achieved 83.88% removal of deflazacort after 180 min of exposure to direct sunlight. The PZC and pKa of deflazacort played a critical role in the degradation process with the highest efficiency (90%) observed at pH 5. Optimization studies further revealed that maximum removal rate of 93% at 50*10− 5 mol/L concentration and 94.4% efficiency at 150 mg catalyst dosage. Furthermore, PES/ZCM nanoparticles exhibited high antibacterial activity against MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillius subtilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae antibacterial tests. Liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy confirmed the deflazacort breakdown pathway. Green synthesized PES/ZCM nanoparticles show high potential as sustainable materials for environmental remediation.