Green synthesis of AgNPs using Delonix regia bark for potential catalytic and antioxidant applications

Nanoparticle synthesis from plant resources has recently gained significant impact due to its low cost, simple equipment requirements, and ease of availability. In this work, DR‐AgNPs were synthesized using bark extract of Delonix regia (D. regia) plant under microwave irradiation. The formation of DR‐AgNPs has been confirmed with UV–Vis, XRD, FTIR, FESEM, HRTEM, EDS, DLS, and zeta potential analysis. Catalytic and antioxidant activities were tested on synthesized spherical nanoparticles with a size range of 10–48 nm. The effects of pH and catalyst dosage on the methylene blue (MB) dye degradation were carried out. It was observed from the treatment results that 95% MB dye degradation efficiency was achieved within 4 min with a degradation rate constant of 0.772 min−1. The synthesized nanoparticles showed a strong antioxidant property when analyzed by a 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. The calculated IC50 value for DR‐AgNPs was 37.1 ± 0.12 μg mL−1. Therefore, DR‐AgNPs are excellent in both catalytic and antioxidant activities when compared to previously reported works.