Biosynthesis of Au nanoparticles by seaweeds

Abstract

From the last decade, people have been attempting to replace all chemical-derived metal nanoparticles with eco-friendly bio-derived nanoparticles in order to meet the need for bio-safety, as chemical-derived nanoparticles are detrimental to the environment. As a result, researchers attempted to biosynthesize the nanoparticles from biological sources in order to reduce their harmful impacts. Since marine renewable resources are available pretty much all season, researchers are focusing on marine resources like sea weeds for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were biosynthesised by seaweeds such as Fucus spiralis [1], Spirullina platensis [2], Cladosiphon okamuranus [3], Kjellamaniella crassifolia [3], Sargassum wightii [4], Turbinaria conoides [5], Dictyota bartayresiana [6], and Padina gymnospora. The sizes of the biosynthesized Au NPs ranged from 5 to 67 nm. Biosynthesized gold nanoparticles came in a variety of shapes, including spherical, rectangle, square, and triangle. Au NPs were found to be more effective than commercial antifungal drugs at inhibiting Humicola insulans and Fusarium dimerum. Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus sp., and Klebsiella pneumonia growth were inhibited by Au NPs.

Fig.1. Seaweed mediated synthesis of Pt NPs