Functionalization of niobium nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with ethanolic extracts of Mentha arvensis

Muhammad Awais Farooqi; Hafiz Muhammad Umer Farooqi; Theophilus Bhatti; Ghayas Uddin Siddiqui; Farzana Kausar; Chul Ung Kang

doi:10.1186/s11671-024-04011-x

Functionalization of niobium nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles with ethanolic extracts of Mentha arvensis

Discov Nano. 2024 Apr 15;19(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s11671-024-04011-x.

Authors

Muhammad Awais Farooqi¹, Hafiz Muhammad Umer Farooqi², Theophilus Bhatti³, Ghayas Uddin Siddiqui⁴, Farzana Kausar⁵, Chul Ung Kang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea.
² Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Interdisciplinary Department of Advanced Convergence Technology and Science, College of Pharmacy, Jeju National University, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea. cukang@jejunu.ac.kr.

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles have gained significant attention due to their wide-ranging applications. This research explores an approach to functionalize Niobium Nitrogen Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles (Nb-N-TiO₂ NPs) with Mentha arvensis ethanolic leaf extracts. This functionalization allows doped NPs to interact with the bioactive compounds in extracts, synergizing their antioxidant activity. While previous studies have investigated the antioxidant properties of TiO₂ NPs synthesized using ethanolic extracts of Mentha arvensis, limited research has focused on evaluating the antioxidant potential of doped nanoparticles functionalized with plant extracts. The characterization analyses are employed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy to evaluate these functionalized doped nanoparticles thoroughly. Subsequently, the antioxidant capabilities through the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays have been assessed. Within functionalized Nb-N-TiO₂, the FTIR has a distinctive peak at 2350, 2010, 1312, 1212, and 1010 cm^-1 with decreased transmittance associated with vibrations linked to the Nb-N bond. SEM revealed a triangular aggregation pattern, 500 nm to 2 µm of functionalized Nb-N-TiO₂ NPs. Functionalized doped Nb-N-TiO₂ NPs at 500 µg mL^-1 exhibited particularly robust antioxidant activity, achieving an impressive 79% efficacy at DPPH assessment; meanwhile, ferric reduction efficiency of functionalized doped Nb-N-TiO₂ showed maximum 72.16%. In conclusion, doped Nb-N-TiO₂ NPs exhibit significantly enhanced antioxidant properties when functionalized with Mentha arvensis ethanolic extract compared to pure Nb-N-TiO₂ manifested that doped Nb-N-TiO₂ have broad promising endeavors for various biomedicine applications.

Keywords: Mentha arvensis; Antioxidant activity; DPPH; FRAP; FTIR; Nb-N-TiO2; SEM.