Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles in the presence of polysaccharide: Optimization and characterization

Abstract

The process of obtaining aqueous solutions of silver nanoparticles with the use of a low-temperature nonequilibrium contact plasma and stabilizing agent - polysaccharide (sodium alginate) - has been examined. The synthesized Ag NPs were characterized by using UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and XRD analysis. The effect of concentration of Ag+, sodium alginate, duration of processing by plasma discharge, and pH of liquid on the production of silver nanoparticles has been studied. The results demonstrated that synthesis provides the formation of silver nanoparticles for investigated concentrations of Ag+ (0.3-3.0 mmol/l) and 5.0 g/l Na-Alg (pH=7-10) within 1-5 minutes. From the SEM images, the silver nanoparticles are found to be almost spherical. Powder XRD results reveal that Ag nanoparticles have a face-centered cubic crystal structure. Zeta potential of plasma-chemically obtained colloidal solutions at various concentrations of Ag+ ions and stabilizing agent varies from -32.8 to -39.3 mV, indicating the moderate stability of synthesized nanoparticles.