PHYTOFABRICATION OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM A NOVEL PLANT SOURCE AND ITS APPLICATION
To meet the increasing demands for commercial nanoparticles new eco-friendly “green†methods of synthesis are being discovered. Biological methods of synthesis have paved way for the “greener synthesis†of nanoparticles and these have proven to be better methods. Due to slower kinetics, they offer better manipulation and control over crystal growth and their stabilization. Plant mediated synthesis of nanoparticles offers single step, easy extracellular synthesis of nanoparticles. Bryophytes show simple organization of the plant body and abundant during rainy season. They are easy to harvest and easy to make an extract. In this study, the alcoholic plant extract was treated with silver nitrate to obtain nanoparticles. The synthesis of nanoparticles was confirmed by change in colour from green to reddish brown. Further, a peak between 400nm to 440nm was obtained on UV-Vis spectrophotometer which confirmed the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles. Presence of silver nanoparticles was observed after carrying out SE microscopy with EDS that gave a strong silver signal. Furthermore, these nanoparticles were incorporated in the gauze cloth and its antibacterial activity is tested. This work demonstrates the possible use of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles by its incorporation in gauze cloth leading them to medical application.