Flower Extract-Reinforce ZnO Nanoparticles for Sustainable and Enhanced UV Protection

Flower Extract-Reinforce ZnO Nanoparticles for Sustainable and Enhanced UV Protection | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Flower Extract-Reinforce ZnO Nanoparticles for Sustainable and Enhanced UV Protection Akshay Ruhidas, Vivek Chandel, Kajol Taiwade, Madhulika Meena, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8719925/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The present study investigates the impact of natural flower extracts namely rose ( Rosa damascena ), sunflower ( He- lianthus annuus ), zinnia ( Zinnia elegans ), kachnar ( Bauhinia var- iegata ), tuberose ( Polianthes tuberosa ), marigold ( Tagetes erecta ), and bougainvillea ( Bougainvillea spectabilis ) on Sun Protection Factor (SPF) when used in combination with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. In this research ZnO nanoparticles were syn- thesized by sol-gel method. These particles were characterized through XRD, SEM, FTIR, UV and PL. The results confirm that ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized which shows hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The extracts of flowers were obtained through ethanolic extraction. The obtained extracts were incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles in the matrix of prepared sunscreen for measurement of SPF. SPF was evalu- ated in vitro using spectrophotometry (Mansur equation). The results showed that the combination of sunflower and rose has higher SPF value because consists of higher carotenoids and flavonoids. After investigate all the results, this research suggest that integrating flower-derived bioactive compounds with ZnO nanoparticles offer a natural and effective strategy for developing broad-spectrum sunscreens with improved UV-blocking potential. The results validate flower extracts as eco-friendly, sustainable additives for boosting ZnO-based UV protection in cosmetics and textiles, reducing synthetic filter dependency. Further optimiza- tion of extract concentrations and stability is recommended for commercial applications. Natural UV filters ZnO nanoparticles Floral extracts SPF enhancement Sustainable sun- screens Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8719925","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":588283236,"identity":"3bc5e399-cc67-40e0-bd77-7b1cf60691b5","order_by":0,"name":"Akshay Ruhidas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akshay","middleName":"","lastName":"Ruhidas","suffix":""},{"id":588283237,"identity":"e01508a9-bc47-4274-89c2-02d8a81554ae","order_by":1,"name":"Vivek Chandel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vivek","middleName":"","lastName":"Chandel","suffix":""},{"id":588283238,"identity":"047e1dcd-d20f-4e78-b065-79a8f55cd134","order_by":2,"name":"Kajol Taiwade","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kajol","middleName":"","lastName":"Taiwade","suffix":""},{"id":588283239,"identity":"0e940d05-04b9-4b8c-aa5f-6989d6959f6d","order_by":3,"name":"Madhulika Meena","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Madhulika","middleName":"","lastName":"Meena","suffix":""},{"id":588283241,"identity":"addaf8ae-bab6-4ee8-ac9b-1bff0ef2c6b8","order_by":4,"name":"Fozia Z. 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In this research ZnO nanoparticles were syn- thesized by sol-gel method. These particles were characterized through XRD, SEM, FTIR, UV and PL. The results confirm that ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized which shows hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The extracts of flowers were obtained through ethanolic extraction. The obtained extracts were incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles in the matrix of prepared sunscreen for measurement of SPF. SPF was evalu- ated in vitro using spectrophotometry (Mansur equation). The results showed that the combination of sunflower and rose has higher SPF value because consists of higher carotenoids and flavonoids. After investigate all the results, this research suggest that integrating flower-derived bioactive compounds with ZnO nanoparticles offer a natural and effective strategy for developing broad-spectrum sunscreens with improved UV-blocking potential. The results validate flower extracts as eco-friendly, sustainable additives for boosting ZnO-based UV protection in cosmetics and textiles, reducing synthetic filter dependency. Further optimiza- tion of extract concentrations and stability is recommended for commercial applications.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Flower Extract-Reinforce ZnO Nanoparticles for Sustainable and Enhanced UV Protection","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-12 15:16:12","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8719925/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"6d952e83-22c9-4f8c-a94f-79c57728fd64","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-15T14:25:13+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-12 15:16:12","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8719925","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8719925","identity":"rs-8719925","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}