Eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Umbrella plant, and evaluation of their photocatalytic and antibacterial activities

The use of plants in nanosynthesis has potentiated the application of most greeneries in this field of study. The aqueous extract of Umbrella plant and different concentrations (1 mM, 2 mM and 5 mM) of AgNO3 were utilized in the preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Two volume ratios, 1:5 and 1:10, of the substrate to the precursor were used, and the rate of formation of the AgNPs was monitored using UV-vis spectroscopy. The nanoparticles were characterized using infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD) techniques. The particle sizes of the nanoparticles were below 20 nm, with the 1:10 ratio of all the concentrations giving the lowest size. The photocatalytic abilities of the AgNPs in the degradation of methyl red were studied. The antimicrobial properties of the nanoparticles against common microbes such as Staphylococcus auerus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli showed interesting results.