Green synthesis, structural characterization, and catalytic activity of silver nanoparticles stabilized with Bridelia retusa leaf extract

Abstract

Abstract:An environmentally benign method to synthesize silver nanoparticles (SNPs) using the leaf extract ofBridelia retusawas developed. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized SNPs displayed a surface plasmon peak at 420 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the irregular shaped nanoparticles, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) ascertained the presence of metallic silver by showing a strong signal at 3 eV. The crystalline structure of metallic silver was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mean size of the SNPs was calculated as 16.21 nm. Fourier infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic studies displayed specific bands for various functional groups and affirmed the function of reduction and stabilization of SNPs. The stability was endorsed by the zeta potential value of −18.1 mV. The results evidenced that this leaf extract-mediated synthesis method is eco-friendly, rapid, and cheap. The catalytic power of the SNPs was investigated for Rhodamine B dye degradation. The SNPs completely degraded Rhodamine B within 9 min; thus, the dye degradation process was very rapid. The pseudo-first order degradation constant was found out to be 0.1323 min−1. This paves the way for the future development of novel nano-catalysts to reduce environmental pollution.