1Department of Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama University, Chennai, India
2Department of Chemical Engineering, Manipal International University, Nilai, Malaysia
*Corresponding Author E-mail: bsnaveenprasad@gmail.com
Online published on 22 October, 2014.
A simple and eco-friendly green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Common duckweed (Lemna minor) as the reducing and stabilizing agent is reported. Lemna minor (Lm) extract was mixed with silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution for the production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The reaction process was simple and the formation of highly stable silver nanoparticles at room temperature were observed. The morphology and crystalline phase of the Lm-AgNPs were determined using UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. TEM studies showed that the average particle size of silver nanoparticles were in the range of 10 to 20 nm. The antifungal activity of Lm-AgNPs against Aspergillus flavus was also investigated and showed that the synthesized Lm-AgNPs has a remarkable potential as an antifungal agent in treating fungal diseases.
Common duckweed (Lemna minor), synthesis, silver nanoparticles, antifungal activity
