OICC Press Iranian Journal of Catalysis 2345-4865 16 1 2026 03 31 The effect of the shapes of Zinc oxide nanoparticles on antibacterial and photocatalytic activity via an eco-friendly method 10.57647/ijc.2026.1601.10 EN Hasti Samadi Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran Mehran Gholipour Shahraki Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran Reza Zarei Mohgadam Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran Journal Article 2026 03 31 Mitigating the environmental risks associated with the chemical fabrication of nanoparticles is a pressing necessity. The green synthesis approach is considered a more secure alternative for nanoparticle production due to its cost efficiency, non-toxic nature, and eco-friendliness. Numerous elements influence the efficacy of nanoparticles; notably, the shape of these particles plays a crucial role, as their geometry can dictate their interactions with external factors, including biological organisms and water pollutants. For synthesizing Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOn), Fig leaf extract was employed, which possesses antifungal, anti-helminthic, and acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory properties. For the first time in his work, he created different shapes of ZnOn with the same co-precipitation procedure and different calcination temperatures (200 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C). To explore the impact of nanoparticle shape, a range of analytical methods has been utilized. The crystallite sizes of ZnOn were measured using the Debye-Scherrer method at forms of nanoflake, cylinder, and sphere, yielding 25.34 nm, 42.49 nm, and 43.52 nm, respectively. Moreover, UV-vis spectroscopy has identified a peak absorption wavelength of around 380, and characterizes the optical properties of ZnOn. Spherical nanoparticles exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity efficiency, reaching 88% in the first 60 min for ZnOn. The investigation focuses on the degradation process of methylene orange. Anti-microbial characteristics against the gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (S. aureus) are examined by the MIC test for three samples of ZnOn.