ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Green synthesis of Ag–Cu–TiO₂ trimetallic nanoparticles via Pongamia pinnata leaf extract and its applications

Shoaib Khan and Arpita Roy

Department of Biotechnology, Sharda School of Bioscience & Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India

E-mail: arbt2014@gmail.com

Received: 7 July 2025  Accepted: 22 December 2025

Abstract:

The present research uses Pongamia pinnata leaf extract to synthesise trimetallic Ag–Cu–TiO₂ nanoparticles. Bioactive substances such as glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, and terpenoids found in the aqueous extract facilitated the synthesis of the nanoparticles. Uv-Vis, Zeta potential analysis, FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, and EDX were utilized to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles. A multiphase crystalline structure with a crystallite size of around 55 nm was indicated by XRD analysis. The elemental content and heterogeneous microstructure (Ag: 49.86%, Cu: 31.62%, Ti: 18.51% by weight) were confirmed by EDX and FESEM analysis. With an average surface charge of −15.4 mV, zeta potential study demonstrated moderate colloidal stability. The nanoparticles exerted high antioxidant activity, reaching 81% DPPH scavenging at 1000 µg/mL. Also, the effective degradation of some dyes—PR (96.47%), methyl red (83%), eosin yellow (61%), and p-nitrophenol (83.38%) in one hour with NaBH₄ proved their catalytic ability and indicated higher redox activity due to their trimetallic nature. These findings prove how Pongamia pinnata-mediated Ag–Cu–TiO₂ nanoparticles can be employed as antioxidants and green catalysts for dye-contained wastewater.

Keywords: Ag–Cu–TiO2; Pongamia pinnata leaves; Trimetallic nanoparticles; Phenol red dye degradation; DPPH assay

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04618-z

Chemical Papers 80 (5) 5195–5206 (2026)