Abstract
A new method for the simple synthesis of stable heterostructured biopolymer (sodium alginate)-capped silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) based on green chemistry is reported. The as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized using the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. The results showed that the as-prepared Ag-NPs have a heterostructured morphology with particle size in the range 30 ± 18–60 ± 25 nm, showing a zeta potential of −62 mV. The silver nanoparticle formation was confirmed from UV-Vis spectra showing 424 nm as maximum absorption. The particle size and crystallinity of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed using TEM and XRD measurements, respectively. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of alginate as capping agent to stabilize the nanoparticles. The Ag-NPs also showed excellent sensing capability, with a linear response to hydrogen peroxide spanning a wide range of concentrations from 10−1 to 10−7 M, which indicates their high potential for water treatment applications, such as pollution detection and nanofiltration composites.
Highlights
Silver nanoparticles have been the focus of extensive research for many decades due to their unique physical, chemical, and electrical properties, which make them suitable for diverse applications, such as catalysis, electrochemical, and biomedical applications, and have attracted the interest of many researchers over time [1,2]
A simple, environmentally benign method in which a natural polymer sodium alginate used as capping agent and glucose as reducing agent to synthesize heterostructured alginate-capped alginate-silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) is presented
After the addition of glucose solution to the alginate/Ag+ solution, the color of the reaction solution changes from light yellow to light brown after 1 h of reaction and to dark brown after 40 h of reaction, indicating the formation of glucose-reduced alginate-capped silver nanoparticles
Summary
Silver nanoparticles have been the focus of extensive research for many decades due to their unique physical, chemical, and electrical properties, which make them suitable for diverse applications, such as catalysis, electrochemical, and biomedical applications, and have attracted the interest of many researchers over time [1,2]. Among the synthesis techniques for silver nanoparticles, green synthesis protocols, which can be used to prepare stable and unique nanostructures, are gaining more attention [7,8,9] Derived materials such as biopolymers could be a good alternative to toxic reagents such as trisodium citrate and borohydrides for use in synthesis methods due to the absence of biohazards associated with their byproducts and subsequent waste management [10,11,12]. Earlier reported methods for the synthesis of alginate capped silver nanoparticles used hydrolyzing agents such as NaOH to initiate the reaction and control the pH of the medium. In these base hydrolyzed synthesis methods, the resultant nanoparticles were morphologically homogenous in nature. The as-synthesized Ag-NPs showed excellent sensing activity towards the presence of hydrogen peroxide even at a very low concentration of 10−7 M
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