Biological Nanoparticles: Optical and Photothermal Properties

Abstract

The synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) through biological approach has proved to be safer than chemical approach and environment friendly. Still the quality of the biologically synthesized metal NPs could not touch the quality standard of chemically synthesized metal NPs. This limits the application of biologically synthesized NPs. In the biosynthetic approach, the complications lie in complicated biochemical pathways, cellular morphology, physiology and other biological and environmental limitations. On the other hand, chemical synthesis process is simple because of limited chemical reactions and has ease to control and change the required physical and chemical parameters like pH, temperature, humidity , etc. as per need. Thus, chemically synthesized NPs are more uniform in shape and size, have defined surface modification and are stable than its biological counterpart. Here we will focus on the limitations of biological synthesis of metal NPs through fungus and discuss the various approaches to counter these limitations to enhance the quality of metal NPs so that biologically synthesized NPs can be used practically on a wider scale.