Green synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles by pheonix dactylifera leaf extract and evaluation of their antioxidant activity

Abstract The development of green nanotechnology is generating research interest in the ecological biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, the biosynthesis of stable iron nanoparticles was carried out using Phoenix dactylifera L. extract which is able to reduce iron ions to iron nanoparticles. The process comprises maceration extraction overnight and heat treatment of the extract with iron chloride (FeCl3) at 70 °C for 1 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used for nanoparticle characterization. The stability of the bioreduced iron nanoparticle was analyzed using UV-VIS absorption spectra, and their antioxidant and anti-radical activities were measured against PhosPhoMolybdate (PPM) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), respectively. The results demonstrate that ecological biosynthesis of 2–30 nm stable iron nanoparticles of size with antioxidant activity can be achieved suggesting their possible applications.