BIOGENIC SYNTHESIS OF SILVER AND COPPER NANOPARTICLES FROM LEAF EXTRACT OF CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Nano-biotechnology is trending and biogenic metallic nanoparticles have been continuously evaluated to be utilized in many industrial applications for a decade now. The properties of nano-scale material can be drastically changed when compared to its significant bulk size. Nano-scale materials are highly efficient due to increased surface area. Sometimes they exhibit certain anomaly which can be used for numerous new applications. The advance of dependable and conservationist strategies for the development of nanoparticles is elemental to the subject of nanotechnology. Green protocols approves of co-existence of environment and technology as they are environmentally benign, rapid and economical. AgNPs and CuNPs have been produced from Catharanthus roseus Linn and characterized for their morphology and function. Copper and silver nanoparticles prepared were characterized structurally and chemically through UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM, FT-IR, DLS and zetapotential. Environmental contamination by heavy metals is arising, threatening water ecosystem and soil quality today. Remediation of heavy metals is of great concern due to their intractability and their perseverance in the ecosystem. To restrict the spread of the heavy metals within water and soil, copper and silver nanoparticles were found useful with the objective of remediation of the hostile heavy elements, namely; chromium and cadmium. This work also targets at studying the antibacterial activities of metallic nanoparticles against gram positive bacteria Staphyloccocus aureus.