Neodymium Selenide Nanoparticles: Greener Synthesis and Structural Characterization

This investigation presents the greener biomimetic fabrication of neodymium selenide nanoparticles (Nd₂Se₃ NPs) deploying nitrate-dependent reductase as a reducing (or redox) agent, extracted from the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum. The Nd₂Se₃ NPs, with an average size of 18 ± 1 nm, were fabricated with the assistance of a synthetic peptide comprising an amino acid sequence (Glu-Cys)n-Gly, which functioned as a capping molecule. Further, the NPs were characterized using multiple techniques such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and XRD. The hydrodynamic radii of biogenic polydispersed Nd₂Se₃ NPs were found to be 57 nm with PDI value of 0.440 under DLS. The as-made Nd₂Se₃NPs were water-dispersible owing to the existence of hydrophilic moieties (-NH₂, -COOH, -OH) in the capping peptide. Additionally, these functionalities render the emulsion highly stable (zeta potential -9.47 mV) with no visible sign of agglomeration which bodes well for their excellent future prospects in labeling and bioimaging endeavors.