Recent advancements in the plant and microbial assisted green synthesis of nanomaterials

Abstract

Green synthesis is a process of generating nanomaterials that is secure, cost-effective, clean, and beneficial to the environment. Natural extracts derived from plant tissues, for example, roots, leaves, barks, seeds, and fruits, work as capping, functionalizing, and reducing agents. Microbial nanotechnology is an eco-friendly method for synthesis of nanoparticles which has a broad application in environment, agriculture, food and pharmaceutical industries. In this review, various plants and microbial-derived nanomaterials have been discussed elaborately. Generally, in the green synthesis of nanomaterials, various microorganisms (e.g., bacterium, fungus, yeast, virus, and their derived compounds) are used. This study focuses on the most recent advances in plant and microbial-based green synthesis with special focuses on the mechanism of NMs synthesis. This study provides an overview of numerous recent publications on synthesizing advanced nanomaterials utilizing a green synthesis technique with special emphasis on their application in pharmaceutical, agricultural, sensor for energy and environment. Combining the remarkable physicochemical qualities of nanoparticles with the environmental and sustainable characteristics of green synthesis methods has shown to be extremely helpful.