Chapter 20 - Patents, technology transfer, and commercialization aspects of biogenic nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanotechnology has emerged as one of the most essential innovations, which has multiple applications in electronics, catalysis, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and agriculture. The synthesis of nanoparticles with well-defined sizes and shapes is very important as the activity of the nanoscale materials depend on their dimensions. Several physical methods like laser ablation, radiolysis, vapor deposition, mechanical attrition, flame pyrolysis, grinding, and ion implantation have been employed for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Likewise, various chemical processes include pyrolysis, sol–gel, hydrothermal, sonochemical, electrochemical, photochemical, and colloidal microemulsion methods have been used. However, the hazardous reaction conditions and the corrosive/toxic chemicals used in the physico-chemical synthesis of nanoparticles pose a potential threat to the environment. Hereby, green (or environmentally friendly) synthesis methods are developed as an alternative environmentally benign route for the synthesis of nanoparticles. This chapter gives an elaborate description of intellectual property rights and technology transfer of such biogenic nanoparticles. Various bacteria like Lactobacillus spp., Pseudomonas aeuroginosa, and Streptomyces spp., fungi like Trichoderma atroviride, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternate, and Alternaria pluriseptat, algae like Laurencia papillosa, plants like Dioscorea bulbifera, Plumbago zeylanica, Nigella sativa, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Balanites aegyptiaca have all been reported to synthesize diverse nanostructures like gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, and graphene oxide. Many biological routes have also led to the synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles as well. Furthermore, the scope of optimization, scale up, downstream processing, and functionalization with drugs and targeting ligands are also discussed.