Seaweeds: A resource for marine bionanotechnology

Area of Science:

• Marine bionanotechnology
• Nanoparticle synthesis
• Green chemistry

Background:

• Nanoparticle (NP) synthesis traditionally involves physical and chemical methods with limitations.
• Growing demand for high-yield, low-cost, non-toxic, and eco-friendly NP synthesis procedures.
• Terrestrial resources have been explored for NP synthesis, but marine resources remain underutilized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the significance of marine resources, particularly seaweed, for noble metal NP synthesis.
• To review advancements in greener synthesis of metal NPs.
• To explore the potential applications of marine-mediated NPs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on marine bionanotechnology and green synthesis of NPs.
• Focus on seaweed-mediated synthesis of metal NPs.
• Analysis of NP characteristics (size, distribution, morphology) and applications.

Main Results:

• Seaweed-mediated NP synthesis offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods.
• Plant-mediated NPs generally exhibit higher synthesis rates and stability.
• Marine resources provide abundant and underexplored sources for NP production.

Conclusions:

• Marine bionanotechnology, especially seaweed-mediated synthesis, presents a promising avenue for sustainable NP production.
• Marine-derived NPs show potential in antimicrobial, antifouling, and anticancer applications.
• Further research into marine resources can overcome limitations of conventional NP synthesis methods with minimal environmental impact.