%0 Journal Article
%T Green Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Using Averrhoa bilimbi Fruit Extract
%A R. S. Rimal Isaac
%A G. Sakthivel
%A Ch. Murthy
%J Journal of Nanotechnology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/906592
%X We report on rapid one-step green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles using fruit extract of Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantitative formation of gold and silver nanoparticles. The characteristics of the obtained gold and silver nanoparticles were studied using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy (UV/Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). UV/Vis spectrum showed Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) for both gold and silver nanoparticles at 540 and 420£¿nm. The EDX spectrum of the solution containing gold and silver nanoparticles confirmed the presence of elemental gold and silver signals. The average diameter of the prepared nanoparticles in solution was about 50¨C150£¿nm. Synthesized particles were either hexagonal or rhomboidal in shape. This synthesis approach of gold and silver nanoparticles is cost effective and can be widely used in biological systems. The effect of fruit extract and metal ion concentration was also studied. 1. Introduction Nanotechnology is mainly concerned with the synthesis of nanoparticles and their application in various fields of medicine, chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Metal nanoparticles such as gold (Au) and silver (Ag) have recognized importance in chemistry, physics, and biology because of their unique optical, electrical, and photothermal properties. Syntheses of nanoparticles are usually carried out by various physical and chemical methods which are not environmentally friendly. In recent years, researchers in the field of nanotechnology are finding that there is an expanding research in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles due to the potential applications for the development of novel technologies. Noble metal nanoparticles are extensively studied because of their wide applications [1¨C3]. Among the various noble metal nanoparticles, gold and silver have several applications in sensors, detectors, and antibacterial agents [4¨C6]. In ancient Indian medical system (Ayurveda), gold is used as medicine in the preparation of nano level Swarna Bhasma to treat tuberculosis, anemia, and cough and also believed to prevent ageing [7]. Silver has been described as therapeutic agent for many diseases and an efficacious antibacterial and antifungal agent [8]. Recently, the studies are focused towards greener methods for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles gained lots of interest due to the use of mild experimental conditions such as temperature,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnt/2013/906592/