Green Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Using Chamaecostus Cuspidatus Leaf Extract

Abstract

Green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts is an eco-friendly and sustainable method. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO?) nanoparticles were synthesized using Chamaecostus cuspidatus leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent, with titanium isopropoxide as the precursor. The nanoparticles were characterized using UV–Visible spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDAX and TGA to study their optical, structural, morphological, elemental and thermal properties. The results confirmed the formation of anatase phase TiO? nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 12.10 nm. FE-SEM analysis showed quasi-spherical particles with slight agglomeration and EDAX confirmed the presence of titanium and oxygen. The nanoparticles exhibited good thermal stability. In addition, they showed antibacterial activity, anticorrosion performance and improved shelf-life under ambient conditions. These findings suggest that the synthesized nanoparticles have potential applications in medical, environmental and agricultural fields.

Introduction

Green synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO?) nanoparticles using plant extracts is an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical and physical methods. Plant extracts contain bioactive compounds like flavonoids, phenols, and terpenoids that act as natural reducing and stabilizing agents. Chamaecostus cuspidatus (insulin plant), rich in such phytochemicals and medicinal properties, was used to synthesize TiO? nanoparticles for applications in antibacterial, anticorrosion, and shelf-life extension.

Synthesis process:

• Leaves were washed, dried, powdered, and extracted in water.
• Titanium isopropoxide was mixed with the leaf extract under stirring at 50?°C to form a gel, aged 24?h, dried at 80?°C, and calcined at 350?°C.
• The resulting nanoparticles were labeled TiO?–C.

Characterization results:

• UV–Vis spectroscopy: Strong absorption at 268?nm with minor peaks at 272?nm and 339?nm, indicating nanoparticle formation and high purity.
• FT-IR: Functional groups from leaf biomolecules confirmed stabilization; Ti–O–Ti and Ti–O lattice vibrations confirmed TiO? formation.
• XRD: Nanocrystalline anatase TiO? with tetragonal structure, lattice parameters a = 3.78?Å, c = 9.51?Å; average crystallite size ~12.1?nm; high phase purity without rutile or brookite.
• FE-SEM: Densely packed, quasi-spherical nanoparticles with porous, rough surface; particle sizes ~43–130?nm (average ~85?nm), favorable for high surface area.
• EDX (implied): Confirmed elemental composition of titanium and oxygen, validating TiO? formation.

Overall, the study demonstrates that green-synthesized TiO?–C nanoparticles are nanocrystalline, phase-pure, and morphologically uniform, showing potential for biomedical, environmental, and agricultural applications due to their antibacterial, anticorrosion, and functional properties.

Conclusion

Green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts has gained considerable attention due to its eco-friendly, cost-effective and sustainable approach. The present study successfully demonstrated the synthesis of TiO? nanoparticles using Chamaecostus cuspidatus leaf extract (TiO?–C) as a green reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using various analytical techniques and evaluated for antibacterial, anticorrosion and shelf-life extension applications. The UV–Visible spectrum showed an absorption peak at 286 nm, confirming the formation of nanosized TiO? with semiconducting behaviour. FT-IR analysis revealed O–H, C–H and Ti–O–Ti vibrations, indicating the involvement of phytochemicals in reduction and stabilization. XRD results confirmed the anatase phase with characteristic diffraction peaks and an average crystallite size of 12.10 nm. FE-SEM analysis showed agglomerated quasi-spherical nanoparticles with an average size of ~85 nm, while EDAX confirmed the presence of titanium and oxygen with good purity. Thermal analysis indicated good stability with a final residue of 89.7%, confirming the formation of stable TiO? at higher temperatures. The antibacterial study demonstrated moderate activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Anticorrosion studies revealed that TiO?–C significantly reduced corrosion rates to 4.4%, 4.8% and 4.2% in acidic, basic and neutral media, respectively, compared to higher corrosion in the unmodified sample. The highest corrosion was observed in acidic medium and lowest in neutral medium. Furthermore, shelf-life studies showed that treated fruits and vegetables retained better color, firmness and overall quality compared to untreated samples. Overall, the results confirm that TiO?–C nanoparticles possess good crystallinity, thermal stability, antibacterial activity, corrosion resistance and preservation ability, making them a promising eco-friendly multifunctional material for various applications.

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Copyright © 2026 Kavitha R, Dr. J. Antony Rajam. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.