Future Prospects of Phytosynthesized Transition Metal Nanoparticles as Novel Functional Agents for Textiles

Abstract

Synthesis of transition metal nanoparticles has become a promising field of research in recent years. Chemical approaches are the most popular methods for their production. However, some chemical methods cannot avoid the use of toxic chemicals in their synthesis protocol. Chemical methods are quite expensive and are potentially dangerous to the environment. Recently, the utilization of biological systems has emerged as a novel method for the green synthesis of nanoparticles. Among biological agents, the use of plants in the synthesis of transition metal nanoparticles is gaining importance due to their biocompatibility, low toxicity, green approach and environmentally-friendly nature. Owing to the biodiversity of plant biomasses, many bioconstituents like proteins, enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids, alkaloids, and other polyols have contributed to the synthetic processes. The intent of this chapter is to survey some of the important scientific research and developmental works pertaining to transition metal nanoparticle synthesis using plant materials. It also highlights how the phyto-inspired synthesized nanoparticles have been integrated into textile materials in order to improve their performances and extend their practical applications by developing new functionalities. Finally, a few recommendations have been proposed for further research efforts to advance this field of study.