Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Selaginella bryopteris Plant Extracts and Studies of Their Antimicrobial and Photocatalytic Activities

Abstract

The present study focuses on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract of S. bryopteris which is a lithophyte with remarkable resurrection capabilities. These biosynthesized NPs were characterized with the help of UV-vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Formation of AgNPs was confirmed by UV-Visible spectrophotometer analysis which showed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at around 420 nm. The TEM images showed the nanoparticles to be polydispersed, nearly spherical in shape and have sizes in range 4–30 nm. The synthesized AgNPs possessed high antibacterial activity as well as photocatalytic dye degradation properties under solar light irradiation in the absence of chemical reducing reagents. Stability of bio-reduced silver nanoparticles was analyzed using UV-vis absorption spectra, and their antimicrobial activity was screened against various gram-positive bacteria