Low-cost, environment-friendly synthesis of palladium nanoparticles by utilizing a terrestrial weed Antigonon leptopus

Abstract

ABSTRACTUse of aqueous extracts of leaves, stem, and roots of the obnoxious weed coral vine (Antigonon leptopus) was explored in the biomimetic extracellular synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs). Extracts of all the three basic components of the plant-leaves, stem, and root-serve as a reducing as well as a stabilizing agent. The progress of the synthesis, which occurred at 95°C and commenced within 5 min of mixing the A. leptopus extracts and Pd(II) solutions, was tracked using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The synthesized PdNPs were characterized with electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The electron micrographs of the synthesized PdNPs revealed the presence of spherical particles of sizes ranging from 5 to 70 nm. The presence of Pd atoms was confirmed from the EDAX and XRD studies. The FTIR spectral study indicated that the polysaccharides and proteins in the plant extract could have been responsible for the reduction of Pd ions to PdNPs and the latter’s stabilization.