Sustainable new biosynthesis of Zero valence gold nanoparticles via Healthy Alchemilla vulgaris L. extract as capping agent

Abstract

Sustainable nanotechnology uses nanomaterials to improve processes that have adverse environmental effects. This includes the development of environmentally friendly nanoparticle products, the use of nanotechnology to promote sustainable behaviors, and the use of products developed using nanotechnology to support sustainability. In this article, we present a new sustainable approach to produce zero-valent gold nanoparticles based on green synthesis methods and using Alchemilla vulgaris L. leaf extract as a sealant. Our sealant enables the required rapid and cost-efficient small-scale, high-quality production. Crystal arrangement in X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the gold NPs, which confirmed the face-centered cubic shape of the prepared samples with a crystal structure with a distance between two adjacent crystal faces of 15.63 nm in fcc. lattice structure of 1.225–2.342 ˚A. Analysis of the synthesized products using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) revealed the presence of only elemental gold (Au), indicating the purity of the material. EDX mapping of the particles revealed exceptional dispersion of metallic gold. The morphology, optical properties, and particle size of the nano synthesized products were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible absorption, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed that the particle diameter of Au NPs was between 18 and 32 nm.

Keywords

• Green nanotechnology
• Zero valence gold nanoparticles
• Sustainable biosynthesis
• Healthy Alchemilla vulgaris L. leaves
• Capping agent