Biomimetic formation of chicoric-acid-directed luminescent silver nanodendrites

In this work, we report the formation of well-defined silver nanodendrites via biomineralization under mild conditions in a single step, in the presence of the plant phytohormone chicoric acid (CA), a well-known HIV-I integrase inhibitor. CA played a dual role as reductant as well as directed the growth of the nanodendrites, which were found to grow primarily in the [111] and [200] directions. In addition to the formation of highly ordered hierarchical structures, the formed Ag nanodendrites were found to exhibit luminescence, as observed by confocal microscopy. This study not only demonstrates a new method for the preparation of luminescent silver nanodendrites using a simple, environmentally friendly biological method, but also indicates the ability of CA, a potent HIV-integrase inhibitor, to interact with silver ions which may shed light on its potential for additional biomedical and biosensor applications.