Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Seaweed aqueous extract and evaluation of antibacterial and ecotoxicological activity

Abstract Green synthesized nanomaterials have garnered much attention due to their economic and ecofriendly benefits over common chemical methods of synthesis. In the present study, zinc oxide nanoparticles with an average diameter of 16.51 nm were successfully biosynthesized using the aqueous extract of the red seaweed Hypnea musciformis. The morphology, purity and quality of biosynthesized Hy-ZnONps were highly comparable with its commercial counterpart with less toxicity. The MIC and MBC values were evaluated and the potential ecotoxicity of Hy-ZnO NPs against Artemia salina was investigated in various concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 15, 25 μg/ml) and mortality rate in 24 hours was evaluated. The findings provide preliminary information for designing cost-effective, eco-friendly green synthesis methods for large-scale production of ZnONps using marine macroalge.