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 50–150？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 [1–3]. Among the various noble metal nanoparticles, gold and silver have several applications in sensors, detectors, and antibacterial agents [4–6]. 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,
References
[1]
P. K. Jain, X. Huang, I. H. El-Sayed, and M. A. El-Sayed, “Noble metals on the nanoscale: optical and photothermal properties and some applications in imaging, sensing, biology, and medicine,” Accounts of Chemical Research, vol. 41, no. 12, pp. 1578–1586, 2008.
[2]
M. Hu, J. Chen, Z. Y. Li et al., “Gold nanostructures: engineering their plasmonic properties for biomedical applications,” Chemical Society Reviews, vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 1084–1094, 2006.
[3]
S. S. R. Dasary, A. K. Singh, D. Senapati, H. Yu, and P. C. Ray, “Gold nanoparticle based label-free SERS probe for ultrasensitive and selective detection of trinitrotoluene,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 131, no. 38, pp. 13806–13812, 2009.
[4]
A. Kumar, P. K. Vemula, P. M. Ajayan, and G. John, “Silver-nanoparticle-embedded antimicrobial paints based on vegetable oil,” Nature Materials, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 236–241, 2008.
[5]
H. Wei, Z. Wang, L. Yang, S. Tian, C. Hou, and Y. Lu, “Lysozyme-stabilized gold fluorescent cluster: synthesis and application as Hg2+ sensor,” Analyst, vol. 135, no. 6, pp. 1406–1410, 2010.
[6]
J. Chen, C. Glaus, R. Laforest et al., “Gold nanocages as photothermal transducers for cancer treatment,” Small, vol. 6, no. 7, pp. 811–817, 2010.
[7]
S. Neetu and C. Anand, “Swarna Bhasma and gold compounds: an innovation of pharmaceutics for illumination of therapeutics,” International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Pharmacy, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 5–9, 2012.
[8]
J. S. Kim, E. Kuk, K. N. Yu et al., “Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles,” Nanomedicine, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 95–101, 2007.
[9]
A. Nabikhan, K. Kandasamy, A. Raj, and N. M. Alikunhi, “Synthesis of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles by callus and leaf extracts from saltmarsh plant, Sesuvium portulacastrum L.,” Colloids and Surfaces B, vol. 79, no. 2, pp. 488–493, 2010.
[10]
T. Ogi, N. Saitoh, T. Nomura, and Y. Konishi, “Room-temperature synthesis of gold nanoparticles and nanoplates using Shewanella algae cell extract,” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 2531–2539, 2010.
[11]
K. Vahabi, G. A. Mansoori, and S. Karimi, “Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by fungus trichoderma reesei,” Insciences Journal, vol. 1, pp. 65–79, 2011.
[12]
M. Agnihotri, S. Joshi, A. R. Kumar, S. Zinjarde, and S. Kulkarni, “Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles by the tropical marine yeast Yarrowia lipolytica NCIM 3589,” Materials Letters, vol. 63, no. 15, pp. 1231–1234, 2009.
[13]
N. Pugazhenthiran, S. Anandan, G. Kathiravan, N. K. Udaya Prakash, S. Crawford, and M. Ashokkumar, “Microbial synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Bacillus sp.,” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 1811–1815, 2009.
[14]
B. Ankamwar, C. Damle, A. Ahmad, and M. Sastry, “Biosynthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles using Emblica officinalis fruit extract, their phase transfer and transmetallation in an organic solution,” Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 1665–1671, 2005.
[15]
S. P. Dubey, M. Lahtinen, and M. Sillanp？？, “Tansy fruit mediated greener synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles,” Process Biochemistry, vol. 45, no. 7, pp. 1065–1071, 2010.
[16]
B. K. H. Tan, C. H. Tan, and P. N. Pushparaj, “Anti-diabetic activity of the semi-purified fractions of Averrhoa bilimbi in high fat diet fed-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats,” Life Sciences, vol. 76, no. 24, pp. 2827–2839, 2005.
[17]
L. Mathew, S. T. George, A. K. Babylatha, and C. K. Geetha, “Flowering and fruit development in bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi) L.,” South Indian Horticulture, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 41–42, 1993.
[18]
M. E. de Almeida and L. L. D. O.S. Santos, “Physiochemical characteristics of bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi) L.,” Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 421–423, 2001.
[19]
S. H. Goh, Malaysian Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases, Pelanduk Publications, 1995.
[20]
C. P. Khare, Indian Medicinal Plants an Illustrated Dictionary, Springer, New York, NY, USA, 2007.
[21]
F. Abas, N. H. Lajis, D. A. Israf, S. Khozirah, and Y. U. Kalsom, “Antioxidant and nitric oxide inhibition activities of selected Malay traditional vegetables,” Food Chemistry, vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 566–573, 2006.
[22]
P. Rajasekharreddy, P. U. Rani, and B. Sreedhar, “Qualitative assessment of silver and gold nanoparticle synthesis in various plants: a photobiological approach,” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1711–1721, 2010.
[23]
B. Nikoobakht, J. Wang, and M. A. El-Sayed, “Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of molecules adsorbed on gold nanorods: off-surface plasmon resonance condition,” Chemical Physics Letters, vol. 366, no. 1-2, pp. 17–23, 2002.
[24]
G. Mie, “Articles on the optical characteristics of turbid tubes, especially colloidal metal solutions,” Annalen der Physik, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 377–445, 1908.
[25]
A. D. Dwivedi and K. Gopal, “Biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles using Chenopodium album leaf extract,” Colloids and Surfaces A, vol. 369, no. 1–3, pp. 27–33, 2010.
[26]
M. I. Husseiny, M. A. El-Aziz, Y. Badr, and M. A. Mahmoud, “Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” Spectrochimica Acta A, vol. 67, no. 3-4, pp. 1003–1006, 2007.
[27]
R. Ayo, J. O. Amupitan, I. G. Ndukwe, and O. T. Audu, “Some chemical constituents of the leaves of Cassia nigricans Vahl,” African Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry, vol. 3, no. 11, pp. 208–211, 2009.
[28]
J. A. Selvi, S. Rajendran, and V. SRI, “Corrosion inhibition by beet root extract,” Portugaliae Electrochimica Acta, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 1–11, 2009.
[29]
S. W. Chang Chien, M. C. Wang, C. C. Huang, and K. Seshaiah, “Characterization of humic substances derived from swine manure-based compost and correlation of their characteristics with reactivities with heavy metals,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 55, no. 12, pp. 4820–4827, 2007.
[30]
K. B. Narayanan and N. Sakthivel, “Phytosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using leaf extract of Coleus amboinicus Lour,” Materials Characterization, vol. 61, no. 11, pp. 1232–1238, 2010.
