Synthesis and Characterisation of Silver Nanoparticles Using Phallusia Nigra

Abstract

Our research focused on the production, characterization and application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which can be utilized in biomedical research and environmental cleaning applications. We used an environmentally friendly extracellular biosynthetic technique for the production of the AgNPs. The reducing agents used to produce the nanoparticles were from the ethanolic extracts made from the simple ascidian Phallusia nigra. Synthesis of colloidal AgNPs was monitored by UV-Visible and IR spectroscopy. The UV-Visible spectrum showed a peak between 417 and 425 nm corresponding to the Plasmon absorbance of the AgNPs. The characterization of the AgNPs such as their size and shape was performed by Atom Force Microscopy (AFM).  The XRD pattern showed the characteristic Bragg peaks of (111), (200), (220) and (311) facets of the face center cubic (fcc) silver nanoparticles and confirmed that these nanoparticles are crystalline in nature. The different types of antioxidants presented in the ascidian reduce the Ag metal ions, as each antioxidant is unique in terms of its structure and antioxidant function. The re- action process was simple for formation of silver nanoparticles and AgNPs presented in the ethanolic medium were quite stable, even up to 4 months of incubation. This work proved the capability of using biomaterial towards the synthesis of silver nanoparticle, by adopting the principles of green chemistry.