Nano-scale preparation of Titanium dioxide by Desmodium gangeticum root aqueous extract

Green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is widely studied to develop environment friendly nanoparticles to avoid chemical by-products that cause adverse effects in various biomedical applications. In this work, we have developed an eco-friendly method for the synthesis of Titanium dioxide nanocrystals from Titanium tetraisopropoxide as precursor using Desmodium gangeticum (DG) root extract. The synthesized nanocrystals were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometry and X-ray diffractometry for their SPR peak as well as crystallite size and shape respectively, scanning electron microscopy for their shape and distribution, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for functional entity identification and thermogravimetric analysis for their thermal stability. Antioxidant assay, antimicrobial test and reducing potential assay were performed to evaluate their biological behavior. TiO2 nanocrystals exist in an anatase phase with a grain size of about 0.7 nm. The FTIR spectra study provides details regarding the bio-stabilizing agents. The nanocrystals were observed with the spherical shape and were found to be thermally stable between 380 °C and 1000 °C. TiO2 nanocrystals possessed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than that of their precursor and had better antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria. Cytotoxicity study was done using LDH assay against the LLC-PK1 cell line and TiO2 nanocrystals were found to be safe for further biological applications.