In the present study, economically viable NiO nanoparticles were produced by biogenic preparation using stevia leaf broth and their in-vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The properties of the prepared NiO nanoparticles were confirmed by analytical techniques such as Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FE-SEM, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the size of synthesized nanoparticles ranged from 20 to 50 nm, most of which were spherical and few of which were agglomerated. The role of the biological moieties, which reduce and cap the nanoparticles, was studied using FTIR analysis. The prepared nanoparticles strongly inhibited gram-negative bacteria, which is a camper with gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, it performs an effective in-vitro activity through α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) reduction. Thus, it can be concluded that the effective and easy green synthesis process used for NiO nanoparticles provides potential antimicrobial agents against multidrug-resistant microbes.
With the rapid improvement of the global economy, the role of energy has become even more vital in the 21st century. In this regard, energy storage/conversion devices have become a major, worldwide research focus. In response to this, we have prepared two-dimensional (2D)-hierarchical sheet-like ZnCo2O4 microstructures for supercapacitor applications using a simple hydrothermal method. The 2D-hierarchical sheet-like morphologies with large surface area and smaller thickness enhanced the contact area of active material with the electrolyte, which increased the utilization rate. We investigated the electrochemical performance of sheet-like ZnCo2O4 microstructures while using Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. The electrochemical results demonstrated that the ZnCo2O4 electrode possesses 16.13 mF cm−2 of areal capacitance at 10 µA cm−2 of current density and outstanding cycling performance (170% of capacitance is retained after 1000 cycles at 500 µA cm−2). The high areal capacitance and outstanding cycling performance due to the unique sheet-like morphology of the ZnCo2O4 electrode makes it an excellent candidate for supercapacitor applications.