Colocasia esculenta leaf extracted cobalt oxide nanoparticles: A comprehensive investigation of the microstructural, morphological, antibacterial, and photocatalytic activity

This research was carried out to explore the biosynthesized cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co₃O₄ NPs) for biomedical and environmental applications by using Colocasia esculenta (Taro) leaf extract. Herein, the synthesized nanoparticles were then characterized through several analytical techniques, such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and uv–visible spectroscopy. The crystallographic nature of prepared cobalt oxide NPs was largely confirmed by XRD analysis, with an average crystallite size of 18.233918 nm. Later, the SEM micrograph revealed spherical shape nanoparticles (22.26654 nm ± 0.17983 nm) dispersed throughout the surface area. EDS ensured the presence of existing elements in the composition. The absorbance peak at 212.5 nm and the energy band gap of 5.46 eV were noted by the uv–visible analysis, The antibacterial activity of the prepared NPs was evaluated against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli) bacteria, which demolished the bacterial cell by increasing the zone of inhibition area. Besides, the photocatalytic activity of ${\mathrm{Co}}_3{O}_4$ NPs for an organic dye (Methylene Blue) degradation reached 86.40 % within 90 min, which may be recommended to mitigate related industrial contamination problems. This exploration also suggested that synthesized Co₃O₄ could be a promising material for photocatalytic dye degradation.