Alpha-Amylase Mediated Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

In this paper, we report the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the pure enzyme alpha-amylase. The silver ions were reduced in the presence of alpha-amylase, leading to the formation of stable silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible absorption and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-Visible studies show the absorption band at 422 nm due to surface plasmon resonance. TEM studies show the monodisperse nanoparticles 22-44 nm diameter with triangular and hexagonal shape. These studies will help in designing a rational enzymatic strategy for the synthesis of nanomaterials of different chemical composition, shapes and sizes.