Structural, Morphological, Optical, Thermal and Fungicidal Effects of Gamma Aluminum Nanoparticles Synthesized from Pepsi Cans

Abstract In the present work, Gamma Aluminum oxide (γ-Al2O3) is prepared from wastes (Pepsi Cans). These cans have a structure that contains more than 98 percent aluminum oxide, and they were effectively manufactured to generate nano-sized gamma alumina under mild parameters. Characterization of the prepared nanoparticles are characterizes using different techniques as X-ray diffraction (XRD), High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Attenuated total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Also, antifungal activity of γ Al2O3 was applied to widespread pathogenic fungi: Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria sp..at different nanoparticles concentrations to determine the maximum fungicidal concentration of the tested nanoparticles on the fungal strains. All characterization confirmed the formation of γ Al2O3 with nearly 2-3 nm and TGA data explains it is thermal stability. By investigating the fungicidal concentration, Data showed the antifungal activity of the selected nanoparticles shows concentration dependent manner based on the fungal strain sensitivity. The maximum antifungal activity of aluminum nanoparticles detected at concentration (3, 6 and 50mg/100ml) with inhibition percentage of (94.2, 95 and 93.3 %) for A flavus, F.oxsporum andAlternaria sp., respectively.