Green Synthesis, Characterization, Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Dye Degradation of Silver Nanoparticles using Combretum indicum Leaf Extract

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by bioreduction of silver nitrate using the aqueous leaf extract of Combretum indicum (CI-AgNPs). The synthesized CI-AgNPs exhibited a distinct absorption peak at 414 nm in UV-vis spectroscopy. Various parameters such as pH, temperature and time were optimized using spectrophotometry. The particle size of the CI-AgNPs was 48 nm as evaluated from the laser particle size analyzer. The XRD and EDX analyses confirmed the presence of silver in silver nanoparticles. Synthesized CI-AgNPs revealed significant antioxidant, antimicrobial (against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and photocatalytic (against methylene blue under sunlight irradiation) activities. Thus, an eco-friendly method was developed to synthesize silver nanoparticles using the C. indicum leaf extract.