OPTIMIZATION OF GREEN SYNTHESIS OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING DELONIX REGIA LEAF EXTRACT AND EVALUATION OF THEIR CATALYTIC ACTIVITY

摘要

Introduction Noble metals such as of gold, palladium, platinum and silver with nano-size dimensions have received considerable attention due to their endless promises in the field of material science. Among these noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), particularly gold, nanoparticles (Au-NPs) plays a significant role in various catalytic reactions due to high surface area to volume ratio, energetic surface atoms and great surface energy. Biofabrication methods for the synthesis of these noble nanoparticles are not only a noble approach to synthesize benevolent nano-structures, but also a footstep to diminish the utilization of toxic chemical and generation of perilous by-products, which are hazardous to environment and public health. These methods are considered as benign, sustainable, costeffective and ecologically sound. Biofabrication of nanoparticles using microorganisms is reported during recent studies (1, 2). However, use of the plant extracts as the potential resource for fabrication of NPs is gaining significant importance as unlike microbial fabrication these methods do not involve isolation and culture preparation techniques.