Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using Herbal Extract

Abstract

Metallic nanoparticles are extensively used in the field of pharmacy and other medicine for delivery of drug effectively. The size, orientation and physical properties of nanoparticles have reportedly shown to change the performance of any material. For several years, scientists have constantly explored different physical and chemical methods to synthesize nanoparticles. This is again costly and potentially harmful to the environment. The chemical synthesis involves toxic solvents, high pressure, energy and high-temperature conversion. Green chemistry method for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles is an alternative to overcome the various limitations of a conventional method of preparing nanoparticles as it is easy, efficient, and eco-friendly. Green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is a major focus of researchers in current years. Researchers are doing an investigation to synthesize various eco-friendly techniques for well-characterized nanoparticles. One such method is the production of metal nanoparticles using organisms. Plants seem to be the best candidates among all the organisms as they are suitable for large-scale biosynthesis of nanoparticles. Plant or herbal extracts are also used to prepare metallic nanoparticles. Metallic nanoparticles prepared using herbal extracts are more stable and the synthesis rate is faster than the other process. Moreover, the nanoparticles are more various in shape and size in comparison with those produced by other green methods. The advantages of using plant and plant-derived materials for biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles have interested researchers to investigate mechanisms of metal ions uptake and bioreduction by plants, and to understand the possible mechanism of metal nanoparticle formation in plants.