Author : B. Ajitha, Y. Ashok Kumar Reddy and P. Sreedhara Reddy

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been synthesized by a facile green method, in which the nanoparticles are yielded in just a few minutes with long-term stability. Silver ions are reduced by means of Abrus precatorius leaf extract (LE), which acts as both reductant and stabilizer concurrently for Ag NPs preparation. The bio-reduced Ag NPs were appropriately characterized. The colorless reaction mixture turned yellow and displayed UV–Vis spectra with surface plasmon resonance at 420 nm typical for Ag NPs. The crystalline nature of NPs was evidenced by both XRD and SAED patterns. The results demonstrate the formation of crystalline Ag NPs with fcc structure having an average crystallite size of 12 nm from XRD profile. Obtained Ag NPs exhibited photoluminescence with Ex of 370 nm. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the role of different functional groups in the Ag NPs formation. Antimicrobial activity was carried out against different test pathogens, in which more inhibitory activity was showed towards Pseudomonas spp. and Penicillium spp. with respect to antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, Green route, Abrus precatorius, Leaf extract, Antimicrobial activity.

Article published in International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Sciences 2014, Special Issue-2 (Feb 2014)