Green Synthesis of Zirconium Dioxide (ZrO2) Nano Particles Using Acalypha Indica Leaf Extract

Dr. (Mrs.) S. Shanthi, S. Sri Nisha Tharani

The green biogenic synthesis of nano particles using plantextracts is always eco friendly and attractive. The current study focuses on the production of ZrO₂ nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extracts of Acalypha Indica. This green synthesis approach shows that the environmentally benign and renewable aqueous leaf extract of Acalypha indica can be used as a reducing agent for the synthesis of zirconium dioxide nanoparticles.  The FTIR analysis played a pivotal role in displaying the important functional groups present in the ZrO₂ nanoparticle, which showed that the sample had strong absorbance in the range of 508 & 498 cm^-1.The XRD pattern has been used to characterize the structure and size of ZrO₂ nanoparticles. The Scanning Electron Microscope with the Energy Dispersive X-ray studies provided the size and the elemental composition of the synthesized ZrO₂ nanoparticles. The average size of the nanoparticles was found to be 20-100nm. Hence the biogenic synthesis of ZrO₂  nanoparticles using Acalypha Indica  can be an alternative to chemical synthesis.