Optimization of green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from leaf extracts of pimenta dioica (Allspice)

Abstract

Production of silver nanoparticles from the leaf extracts of Pimenta dioica is reported for the first time in this paper. Three different sets of leaves were utilized for the synthesis of nanoparticles - fresh, hot-air oven dried, and sun-dried. These nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and AFM. The results were diverse in that different sizes were seen for different leaf conditions. Nanoparticles synthesized using sun-dried leaves (produced using a particular ratio (1: 0.5) of the leaf extract sample and silver nitrate (1 mM), resp.) possessed the smallest sizes. We believe that further optimization of the current green-synthesis method would help in the production of monodispersed silver nanoparticles having great potential in treating several diseases. © 2013 Akshay Rajeev Geetha et al.