- Title
- Green synthesis of iron nanomaterials by grape leaf extract and their application in removal of contaminants
- Creator
- Luo, Fang
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Iron nanomaterials, such as iron-based NPs (Fe NPs), iron oxides and bimetallic Fe nanoparticles, have been extensively used in an increasing number of food-related, biosensing, and environmental applications owing to their versatile properties and high catalytic activities. With iron nanomaterials being increasingly and more widely applied in environmental remediation, their environmental safety and impact aspects have generated much interest. Consequently, more researchers are now focusing their work on the green synthesis method which can potentially exploit biological sources in the synthesis process. Of these methods, the synthesis of iron nanomaterials using plant extracts seems to be the best candidate because it is simple, quick, cost-effective, energy-efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable, and therefore can be considered as a viable, economic and valuable alternative for large-scale production. Although green synthesis approach possesses extraordinary properties, so far not too many plant extracts have been employed for the green synthesis of iron nanomaterials. Biomolecules present in plant extracts involved in the reduction of metal salts during the synthesis process can act as reducing and capping agents, which not only avoids the use of toxic and expensive reagents but also increases the reactivity and stability of nanoparticles. Some researchers have shown that active biomolecules such as polyphenols, carbohydrates and proteins may be responsible for the synthesis process, however not too much experimental evidence has been provided to support it. Due to the rich biodiversity, searching for new potential plants can improve when more detailed information concerning the involved biomolecules and their functions in bioreduction process is better understood. As we all know, Australia is very famous for the red wine. It has many wineries and grape leaf is a major by-product with an abundant and promising feedstock. It has reported that polyphenols existing in grape leaf can cause problems for the soil, so the use of grape leaf can reduce the environmental impact. Given all abovementioned issues, this thesis presents a series of research studies regarding the green synthesis of iron nanomaterials, namely, Fe NPs, bimetallic Fe/Pd NPs and agarose-Fe NPs hydrogel, using grape leaf extract and their application in removal of contaminants like Orange II, trichloroethylene (TCE) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Notably, one of the key contents is the identification of active biomolecules using techniques, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Another key content is the characterization of the resulting nanomaterials. Results from techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and XPS, clearly showed the successful formation of iron nanomaterials. Additionally, the mechanism for the removal of contaminants using iron nanomaterials was correspondingly investigated using specific technique like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Literature review primarily outlines the green synthesis of iron nanomaterials and their applications in various areas. Three major aspects are summarized in detail, including (1) recent trends in the green synthesis of iron nanomaterials, especially using plant extracts; (2) a detailed analysis is emphasized on the role of biomolecules extracted from plant extracts in the synthesis mechanism; (3) characterization techniques and applications of iron nanomaterials in various areas.
- Subject
- iron nanomaterials; grape leaf extract; contaminants; thesis by publication
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1314535
- Identifier
- uon:22778
- Rights
- Copyright 2016 Fang Luo
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Abstract | 237 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Thesis | 5 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |