Abstract
The field of nanotechnology is the most active area of research in modern materials science. There is increased demand on nanoparticles because of their wide applicability in various areas; for example, electronics, catalysis, chemistry, energy and medicine. Commonly, silver nanoparticles are fabricated using toxic and flammable chemicals. Therefore, the aim of this work is to find a cost effective and environment-friendly technique for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution using watermelon extract. The different parameters were optimised for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles including the contact time, concentration of watermelon extract, concentration of silver nitrate solution, reactant ratio, and reaction temperature. The fabricated nanoparticles were characterised using different instruments such as UV-Vis spectrophotometry and their size determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while the element composition of the sample was obtained from the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum. The antibacterial effect of the fabricated silver nanoparticles against two human pathogens Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) was studied and the obtained results confirm the fact that SNPs have the antibacterial property of nanoparticles.
Highlights
Application of nano-scale materials, ranging from 1–100 nm, is an emerging area of nanotechnology
The fabricated nanoparticles were characterised using different instruments such as UV-Vis spectrophotometry and their size determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while the element composition of the sample was obtained from the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum
The main benefit of using the green chemistry route for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles is to fabricate a material that will be compatible for pharmaceutical and other biomedical applications since the toxic chemicals are not used during the fabrication of nanoparticles [8]
Summary
Application of nano-scale materials, ranging from 1–100 nm, is an emerging area of nanotechnology. Silver nanoparticles can be environmentally fabricated using plant leaf extract, bacteria, fungi and enzymes [7]. Nanoparticles of silver, nickel, cobalt, zinc and copper have been fabricated using Brassica juncea (Indian mustard), Medicago sativa (alfa alfa) and Heliantus annus (sunflower). All of these plants have the ability to accumulate higher concentration of metals compared with other plants [11]. In 2012, Salem and Awwad [15] fabricated silver nanoparticles by using mulberry leaf extract and found effective antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella sp. This work will investigate the findings relating to optimisation of different experimental parameters, and the antibacterial effect of the fabricated silver nanoparticles against two human pathogens E. coli and S.aureus will be checked
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