Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Citrullus colocynthis Fruit Extract and the Eutectic-Based Ionic Liquid: Thin Film Application

Abstract

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are of great importance owing to their unique distinctiveness and potential requests in numerous applications. Recently, silver (Ag) NPs, due to their unique and extraordinary properties, has been of interest to a large number of researchers. Overall, there are three essential approaches for manufacturing NPs, namely; chemical, physical and biological or green approaches. In the present study, Ag NPs have been synthesized using Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract and a eutectic-based ionic liquid, as a reducing, capping and stabilizing agent. Additionally, these mediums are one-pot, environmentally friendly and economic for synthesizing pure, stable, highly crystalline, thermally stable NPs. Then the biosynthesized Ag NPs were identified by means of diverse description methods to investigate their size, purity, stability, degree of crystallinity, structure, thermal and optical properties. Afterward, the biosynthesized Ag NPs, from both mediums, has been utilized for thin film preparation using the spin-coating method. The p-type silicon (100) wafer utilized as a substrate and the Ag NPs disseminated on the substrate homogeneously. The utilized characterization showed that the synthesized Ag NPs thin film possesses highly standard properties of thin film in which can be utilized for photovoltaic devices.