Tag Archives: Synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Euphorbia heteradena Jaub root extract and evaluation of their stability

Synthesizing titanium dioxide nanoparticles with herbal extracts

It was somewhat unexpected to see a science collaboration between an Iranian researcher and an Iraqi researcher given the two countries engaged in a hard-fought war for almost eight years (1980 – 88). However, since almost 30 years have passed, it seems at least two people feel it’s time to approach things differently. A Jan. 28, 2016 news item on Nanotechnology Now announces the research,

Environmental preservation is today one of the greatest concerns of scientists in all scientific aspects.

Given the direct effect of chemical industry on environment, chemists try to present new methods for the synthesis of materials with less chemical pollution but more biocompatibility.

Iranian and Iraqi researchers studied the possibility of the application of herbal extracts to synthesize titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Results prove that the herbal extract enables production of nanoparticles at a higher rate and efficiency but less environmental pollution.

A Jan. 28, 2016 Fars Agency news release, which originated the news item, expands on the theme,

The aim of the research was to synthesize titanium dioxide nanoparticles in a simple, fast and cost effective manner with high efficiency in the presence of Euphorbia heteradena Jaub extract. This plant is found commonly in the western and central parts of Iran.

The nanoparticles also have application in the degradation of organic materials and water and wastewater purification due to their appropriate stability, non-toxicity and photocatalytic activity.

The method presented in this research is in agreement with global standards of green chemistry unlike other chemical methods. In fact, no toxic solvent or reactant (such as chemical reducers and stabilizers) has been used in this method. Elimination of by-products during the synthesis of nanoparticles and ease of production scaling up from laboratorial scale to industrial one are among the other advantages of the new method.

According to the researchers, instability of the synthetic nanoparticles is one of the challenges in previous studies. However, experiments suggest that no structural change is observed in the synthetized nanoparticles even after two months.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the researchers’ 2015 paper,

Synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Euphorbia heteradena Jaub root extract and evaluation of their stability by Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh, S. Mohammad Sajad. Ceramics International Volume 41, Issue 10, Part B, December 2015, Pages 14435–14439 doi:10.1016/j.ceramint.2015.07.079 Available online 21 July 2015

This paper is behind a paywall.