Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 101, 10 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2026007

Original Article

Synthesis of lead oxide nanoparticles by non-thermal plasma jet and investigation of their characteristics and their effect on antibacterial activity

¹ Department of Medical Physics, College of Science, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
² Department of Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
³ Institute of Laser for Postgraduate Studies, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
⁴ Department of Medical Physics, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Kerbala, Karbala, Iraq

^* e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 19 March 2026
Accepted: 1 June 2026
Published online: 30 June 2026

Abstract

The synthesis of nanoparticles using cold plasma and jet plasma techniques enables the production of nanomaterials with precisely controlled properties. These properties render the materials applicable to a diverse range of industrial and biomedical applications. Among various synthesis routes, cold plasma technology has emerged as an efficient and versatile approach for generating nanoparticles from different elements. In this study, lead oxide nanoparticles (PbO NPs) were synthesized using a non-thermal plasma system, in which a high voltage of 10 kV was applied to an argon gas flow of 2 L/min for durations ranging from 3 to 9 min. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy revealed a slight increase in the optical band gap (Eg) from 2.82 to 3.17 eV with extended synthesis time. X-ray diffraction confirmed the orthorhombic crystalline structure of the PbO NPs, with crystallite size increasing from 38.36 to 52.14 nm. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed spherical morphologies with diameters of 30–50 nm, while zeta potential values indicated good colloidal stability, slightly decreasing from 34.3 ± 1.86 to 30.1 ± 1.45 mV. The antibacterial activity of the PbO NPs was evaluated against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis. The inhibition efficiency increased with synthesis time, corresponding to a rise in nanoparticle concentration from 127.6 to 203.8 mg/L. Overall, the results demonstrate that cold plasma synthesis is an effective and controllable method for producing stable PbO NPs with enhanced antibacterial performance, suggesting their strong potential for future biomedical and environmental applications.