Study on parameters optimization of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using aqueous extract of Imperata cylindrica

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles has gained great attention in moving towards an economic and environmentally friendly process. However, there is a limited number of studies that describe the parameters for tuning the dimension and geometry of nanoparticles in the biosynthesis process. Therefore, in this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized by varying the synthesis parameters in aqueous extract of Imperata cylindrica. The particles were characterized by visual observation; color changes, UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, field scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Changing the parameters such as plant extract concentration, silver salt concentration, the temperature of biosynthesis and pH of reaction mixture influence the size and dispersion of the nanoparticles. The optimum parameters for synthesizing silver nanoparticles are 10% of aqueous extract, 10 mM of silver nitrate, pH 5.7 with a reaction temperature of 60 degrees C. The synthesized silver nanoparticles are in spherical with a diameter below 100 nm.