Biological synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles using apiin as reducing agent

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Biological synthesis of nanoparticles offers a sustainable alternative to chemical methods.
• Apiin, a natural flavonoid, has potential as a reducing and stabilizing agent.
• Controlling nanoparticle size and shape is crucial for targeted applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel biological synthesis strategy for anisotropic gold and quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles.
• To investigate the role of apiin as a reducing and stabilizing agent.
• To characterize the synthesized nanoparticles and explore their potential applications.

Main Methods:

• Biological synthesis using apiin as the reducing and stabilizing agent.
• Varying the ratio of metal salts to apiin to control size and shape.
• Characterization using UV-vis-NIR, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, and TGA.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized anisotropic gold and quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles.
• Demonstrated control over nanoparticle size and shape by adjusting the apiin to metal salt ratio.
• Confirmed interaction between nanoparticles and the carbonyl group of apiin via FT-IR.
• Achieved average gold nanoparticle size of 21 nm and silver nanoparticle size of 39 nm.
• Identified potential applications for gold nanotriangles in cancer hyperthermia and IR-absorbing optical coatings.

Conclusions:

• Apiin is an effective agent for the green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles.
• The synthesis method allows for tunable control over nanoparticle characteristics.
• The synthesized nanoparticles, particularly gold nanotriangles, show promise for biomedical and optical applications.