Green Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetite Nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) Using Qazwan Seeds Extract as an Antimicrobial Agent

This study reports the green synthesis and eco-friendly preparation of the magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) using an aqueous extract of Qazwan (Pistacia atlantica) seeds as natural stabilizers and capping agents. The green Fe3O4 NPs were characterized with different characterization techniques such as Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) Spectrometry, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) Equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectrophotometry. The UV-Vis spectrum and FT-IR were used to identify the biomolecules in the Qazwan seeds extract for green synthesized Fe3O4 NPs. The XRD, TEM, and SEM demonstrated the generation of  Fe3O4 NPs with an average diameter of 14-15 nm. The Williamson-Hall and the Scherrer equation obtained the crystalline size for Fe3O4 NPs, respectively, 6.43 and 14.22 nm which confirmed the effects of both crystallite size and strain. Additionally, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of synthesized Fe3O4 NPs was tested, which revealed that NPs had moderate antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis), gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumanni, and Klebsiella pneumonia) and Candida albicans pathogenic fungal strains at different concentrations of Fe3O4 NPs (1.0 to 20 mg/mL) with average inhabitation zone of (8 to 22 mm).