Green Synthesis of Cu-Nanoparticles Using Tea Stem: Structural Properties and Application for Catalytic of Methylene Blue

Abstract

The use of biosynthesis is considered an environmentally friendly and more sustainable method for the production of metal nanoparticles. In this study, copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) were synthesized using tea stem extract as a reducing agent. Spectroscopic identification revealed that the CuO is the major crystalline structure with a particle size of 14.9 nm. The B_g mode of the Raman active mode is associated with the symmetric oxygen stretching of Cu-O and is consistent with the monoclinic crystal CuO in X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurement. X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) deconvolution revealed the split peaks for Cu 2p_3/2 and confirmed the coexistence of Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ in the Cu-NPs. The Cu-NPs possessed effective catalytic ability for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) from the aqueous phase in a Fenton-like system. These results provide important evidence for the potential application of tea stem in synthesis of nanoparticle.