Biogenic Synthesis and Characterisation of Novel Potassium Nanoparticles by Capparis spinosa Flower Extract and Evaluation of Their Potential Antibacterial, Anti-biofilm and Antibiotic Development

Scientific researches on the synthesis, characterisation, and biological activity of potassium nanoparticles (K NPs) are extremely rare. In our study, we successfully synthesised a novel form of K NPs using Capparis spinosa ( C. spinosa ) flower extract as a reducing and capping agent. The formation of K NPs in new form (K 2 O NPs) was confirmed by UV–vis and XRD spectra. Furthermore, the FTIR results indicated the presence of specific active biomolecules in the C. spinosa extract which played a crucial role in reducing and stabilising K 2 O NPs. SEM imaging demonstrated that the K 2 O NPs exhibited irregular shapes with nanosizes ranging between 25 and 95 nm. Remarkably, the biosynthesised K 2 O NPs displayed considerable antibacterial activity against a wide range of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria. K 2 O NPs demonstrated considerable anti-biofilm activity against preformed biofilms produced by MDR bacteria. Combining K 2 O NPs with conventional antibiotics greatly improved their efficacy in compacting the MDR bacterial strains. Industrially, bulk form of potassium oxides was commonly used in the preparation of various antimicrobial compounds such as detergents, bleach, and oxidising solutions. The synthesis of potassium oxide in nanoform has shown remarkable biological efficacy, making it a promising therapeutic approach for pharmaceutical and medical applications.