Green preparation of nano‐silver aqueous solution using fructose and evaluation of its antibacterial potential for cut carnation flowers

Abstract

The green synthesis of nano-silver (NS) has gained increasing attention owing to its cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Herein, a novel one-step green preparation method of stable NS aqueous solution using Tollens reagent as the silver ion source, D-fructose as the reduction agent, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone as the stabilizing and capping agent is reported. The prepared NS solution had a pH value of 7.10, with approximately spherical NS particles in the range of 13.95–87.36 nm. The resulting NS solution was stable under normal temperature, boiling water bath, and acidic environment. The NS solution had a remarkable absorption peak at 410 nm in its ultraviolet–visible spectrum. The dynamic light scattering/Zeta analysis showed the average particle size of the NS aqueous solution was 183.5 nm, polymer dispersion index was 0.282, and the zeta potential of the green synthesized NS was –18.0 mV. Moreover, the NS solution exerted a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of the bacteria isolated from the vase water of cut carnation ‘Prince’ flowers. These findings indicate that the obtained NS solution is potentially a practical and effective antibacterial agent for preserving cut carnations and other cut flowers.