Aralia elata leaf extracts synthetize ZnO based nanoclusters and its dye removal applications

At the nanoscale, various materials exhibit significant changes in their electrical and optical properties, showing optical and electrical performance that is entirely different from that of macroscopic materials, and thus have been widely applied. Among them, zinc oxide nanoclusters (ZnONCs) are commonly applied in the fields of antibacterial and bacteriostatic, photocatalysis, ultraviolet shielding, sensor preparation, and dye removal. In this paper, to reduce the use of toxic and harmful chemical reagents, the leaf extract of Aralia elata was used as the chemical modifier and stabilizer, and the functionalized zinc oxide nanocluster material (AE-ZnONCs) was prepared by the green hydrothermal synthesis method, which can be used for the removal of organic dyes in wastewater. SEM confirmed that the surface of AE-ZNONCs was a loose lamellar structure, with AE extract adhering to the material surface. TEM characterization shows that the internal structure of AE-ZnONCs is a loose lamellar structure. EDS and XRD confirmed that the nanomaterials contained zinc oxide and AE plant components. TGA characterization confirmed that the mass proportion of AE extract attached to the material surface was 18.3%. AE-ZnONCs could rapidly and efficiently adsorb methylene blue (MB) and sunset yellow (SY) dyes from water, with the adsorption process following second-order kinetics and adhering to the Freundlich-type multilayer adsorption isotherm model. The green hydrothermal preparation method for functionalized zinc oxide boasts advantages such as abundant raw materials, high cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, controllable parameters, simple equipment, and easy operation, with broad application prospects.