Summary

Environmentally friendly plant extracts have always been considered an effective alternative to chemical and physical nanoparticle synthesis methods. Lately, the green synthesis of nanoparticles is one of the emerging and developing fields of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize many scientific disciplines due to its size and shape. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are of great importance in many diverse industries. Also, the Nano-zinc oxide is biologically safe and considered environmentally friendly because it does not contain harmful chemicals that harm human health and cause many problems and is also cost-effective. Nano-zinc oxide has recently received increasing attention due to its stability under harsh environmental conditions. Ziziphus spina – Christi is a locally and widely available plant species, widely found in Oman. The leaf extract of this tree can be used to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles. This research aims to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles from Ziziphus spina – Christi trees. Development of a Polymeric Nanocomposites (PNCs) using polyethylenimine along with the green-synthesized ZnO will be conducted. Paints in oman are of high quality and standards. However, the climatic conditions in Oman leads to chipping, cracking and fading easily. In order to improve the durability of paints and enhance their antifouling characteristics, these developed polymeric nano composites will be added as additives to coat along with paints. Analysis of the thermal stability, oligodynamic properties and its application in paint coating industries will be conducted.

Objectives

1- Synthesis of ZnO from Ziziphus spina – Christi leaf extracts.

2- Synthesis of ZnO/polyethylenimine PNC’s.

3- Characterization of ZnO and ZnO/polyethylenimine PNC’s.

4- Application of ZnO/polyethylenimine PNC’s in paints in Oman.

5- Thermal stability analysis and oligodynamic studies of ZnO/polyethylenimine PNC’s.

Funding Agency:

MOHERI