Nanochemistry and biotechnology

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plant extracts
Mariychuk R., Porubská J., Bartošová V.
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Presov in Presov, 17th November Str. 1, 08001, Presov, Slovakia. 
E-mail: ruslan.mariychuk@unipo.sk

Metallic nanoparticles are finding new applications in electronics, optics, as well as medical, pharmaceutical, food and agriculture sectors. Biomolecules present in extracts of berries displays a significant potential be used to reduce metal ions to nanoparticles in a single-step green synthesis process. The reduction and stabilization of metallic nanoparticles flows quite fast, readily conducted at room temperature and pressure, and the production can be easily scaled up. Despite the large number of publications related to phytosynthesis of nanoparticles, the role of different water soluble plant metabolites (e.g. alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, saponins) and co-enzymes is still not understood completely. A green synthesis method rot the preparation of silver and gold nanoparticles using extracts of polyphenolic-rich berries is reported in the present investigation.
Several groups of natural compounds were applied for phytosynthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles. Polyphenolic compounds were extracted and isolated from polyphenol-rich plant material (blackcurrant and elderberry). Extracts of marigold, peppermint and others were prepared at different extraction conditions and used for synthesis of metal nanoparticles with different shapes.
Nanoparticles of silver and gold were synthesized in water solutions by reacting of AgNO3 and HAuCl4 with polyphenolic samples at various conditions (temperature, pH, concentration etc.) and studied by using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, zeta-potential and infra-red spectroscopy.
The results of antibacterial tests of silver nanoparticles prepared by different routes will be presented.