Green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles from sandalwood (Santalum album L.) extract for efficient catalytic reduction, antioxidant and antibacterial activity

Abstract

Metal nanoparticles that have been manufactured in a green environment have been recognized as potentially useful materials for the development of nanomedicine due to the fact that they are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and durable. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been demonstrated to be beneficial in a variety of applications, including those in the fields of biomedicine and environmental protection, according to research. Our study aims to prepare AgNPs using sandalwood (Santalum album L.) extract. Sandalwood-based silver nanoparticles (SW-AgNPs) that were characterized using a variety of techniques, including UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS) analysis. The antioxidant activity of the produced SW-AgNPs was examined in relation to the radical scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and showed a maximum of 80.21 ± 0.91% after the concentration of SW-AgNPs was set at 500 μg/mL. The antibacterial efficiency of SW-AgNPs was tested against infection causing bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) with zones of inhibition of 17.2 and 12.3 mm, respectively. The SW-AgNPs showed photocatalytic decolorization efficiency of around 71.3% and 92.14% for the Malachite green (MG), methylene blue (MB) dyes respectively, after a 150 min incubation. The results that were obtained therefore present a potential way for the green synthesis of SW-AgNPs utilizing S. album L. extract, which has significant applications in the fields of biopharmaceuticals and catalysis.