Solanum tuberosum Leaf Extract Templated Synthesis of Co3O4 Nanoparticles for Electrochemical Sensor and Antibacterial Applications.

Green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is a viable alternative methodology because of cost-effective and availability of environmentally friendly templates for desired application, which has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. In the present study, Co₃O₄ NPs were synthesized in various volume ratios in the presence of Solanum tuberosum leaf extract as a template. The synthesized Co₃O₄ NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), surface area electron diffraction (SAED), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD analysis found that the average crystalline sizes for the 1 : 2, 1 : 1, and 2 : 1 volume ratios was 25.83, 21.05, and 27.98 nm, respectively. SEM-EDX and TEM analyses suggest that the green-synthesized Co₃O₄ NPs are spherical in shape without the presence of impurities. The band gap E _g values of the 1 : 2, 1 : 1, and 2 : 1 volume ratios of Co₃O₄ NPs were found to be 1.83, 1.77, and 2.19 eV, respectively. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of various bioactive ingredients within the leaf extract of Solanum tuberosum. Co₃O₄ NPs-modified electrodes showed better sensing capability towards ascorbic acid and citric acid due to enhanced electron transfer kinetics. Among three volume ratios (1 : 2, 1 : 1, and 2 : 1) of Co₃O₄ nanoelectrodes, 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 were identified as the best performing nanoelectrodes. This is possibly due to the high catalytic behavior and the more homogenized surface structure. Co₃O₄ (1 : 2) nanodrug showed the enhanced antibacterial activity (16 mm) towards S. aureus which is attributed to the formation of enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS).