Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles: pros and cons of natural compounds

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted scientific interest for their unique properties and diverse applications, across biomedical fields, including sensing, diagnostics, and therapeutic interventions. However, standard wet chemistry synthetic methods for particles synthesis bare limitations, par...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano express 2024-12, Vol.5 (4), p.045020
Main Authors: Medeot, Caterina, Alsadig, Ahmed, D’Amico, Francesco, Costantini, Roberto, Lentini Campallegio, Claudio, Cossaro, Albano, Vondracek, Hendrik, Birarda, Giovanni, Posocco, Paola, Parisse, Pietro, Casalis, Loredana, Bonin, Serena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatibility
Catechin
Chemical synthesis
Cocoa
cocoa powder
Flavonoids
Gold
gold nanoparticles
green synthesis
Nanoparticles
Redox reactions
Reducing agents
Spherical powders
Stability
Toxic wastes
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted scientific interest for their unique properties and diverse applications, across biomedical fields, including sensing, diagnostics, and therapeutic interventions. However, standard wet chemistry synthetic methods for particles synthesis bare limitations, particularly in separating AuNPs from the reaction mixture. Therefore, there is a growing demand for environmentally friendly synthesis routes that minimize waste and utilize non-toxic solvents. Despite advances in this field, many current studies lack standardized protocols, and the underlying mechanisms of the reducing reaction remain unclear. Through comprehensive spectroscopic and morphological analyses, we investigated the redox reactions involved in AuNP formation with various natural extracts, aiming to establish an optimized protocol for producing small, spherical, and monodisperse AuNPs. Our findings demonstrate that cocoa powder extract effectively yields reproducible, spherical AuNPs with a diameter of 11 nm. Comparative analysis with single cocoa powder molecular components identified catechins, a class of flavonoids, as the primary reducing agent in green AuNP synthesis. Catechins also form a protective layer around the AuNPs. However, the simultaneous, unavoidable presence of this layer implemented with fatty acids and proteins, although fundamental for colloidal stability, limits further functionalization of the AuNPs, highlighting a trade-off between stability and functional versatility.
ISSN:2632-959X
DOI:10.1088/2632-959X/ad9f85