Sustainable Development of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for Advanced Applications in Bioplastic Matrices

Nanomaterials play a pivotal role across diverse fields like medicine, electronics, energy storage, and environmental remediation, finding applications in targeted drug delivery, enhanced electronic device performance, efficient energy storage systems, and pollution remediation. This research centers on the synthesis, characterization, and application of iron and zinc oxide nanoparticles originating from Phoenix dactylifera L. extract, known for its phytochemical richness and its effectiveness as reducing and capping agents. Optimization studies cover Phoenix leaves' drying temperature and extraction medium solvent, revealing favorable conditions of low temperature and water solvent that significantly enhance polyphenol yield. Systematic exploration of processing parameters, including effects of pH, washing solvent, calcination temperature, and time, sheds light on their influence on nanoparticle properties like size, crystallinity, morphology, shape, magnetic response, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity. Composition parameters, investigating salt type and concentration for both precursor and reducing agent, yield insights into ideal conditions for synthesizing high-performance nanoparticles. The resulting nanoparticles showcase optimized properties, including a size of 2 nm, 64 emu/g magnetization saturation, and an antioxidant activity of 8 μg/mL. Notably, iron oxide nanoparticles calcined at low temperatures exhibit higher antioxidant activity due to the surface degradation of phytochemicals at elevated temperatures and times. Subsequent examinations reveal the nanoparticles' potential applications in therapeutic interventions and antimicrobial formulations, particularly in biological activities like antioxidant and antibacterial assessments. The study extends to incorporating these nanoparticles into bioplastic films and membranes, addressing the growing demand for sustainable materials in nanopackaging for food preservation and medical applications. Casting and electrospinning methods are employed, offering uniformity and enhanced surface area and porosity, respectively, to impart specific properties to resulting materials. The comprehensive results, detailed in publications, emphasize the promising potential of these nanoparticles and highlight enhanced film and membrane properties in terms of hydrophobicity, mechanics, optics, biology, and morphology. This versatility suggests practical applications in diverse fields, including food preservation and medical applications, with potential extensions to medicine, electronics, energy storage, and environmental remediation.