Green Synthesis of CuO Nanoparticles Using Tragopogon porrifolius and Their Antioxidant and Photocatalytic Applications

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were produced by green synthesis method which is a cheap, easy and effective method using Tragopogon porrifolius extract. The shape, bond and crystal structure of the nanoparticles were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis methods. SEM analysis showed that the particles were spherical and EDX analysis showed the elemental composition of Cu and O as Cu 58.17 % and O 32.73 %. Cu-O bond structure was identified in FTIR analysis. In XRD analysis, peaks defining CuO NPs were observed. The antioxidant and photocatalytic activity of the synthesized CuO NPs were investigated. Antioxidant capacities were examined in the range of 50-500 μg/mL. The free radical scavenging activity of the nanoparticles was determined as 70.75 % at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. In photocatalytic studies, Reactive Red 120 (RR 120) dye degradation was investigated. The degradation time was calculated as 76 % in 30 min.