Environmental-friendly method for synthesis of silver nanoparticles from dragon fruit peel extract and their antibacterial activities

A facile, green and eco-friendly approach was introduced for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using dragon fruit peel extract (DPE) as reducing as well as capping agent. The effect of pH on the formation of silver nanoparticles was studied utilizing various characterization techniques including UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, EDX, TEM and zeta potential. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy with the presence of surface plasmon resonance band between 430 and 460 nm. TEM images demonstrated that the size of synthesized silver nanoparticles was reduced with an increase of pH. The silver nanoparticles was spherical in shape with a negative charge on the surface of the nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles was in the range of 25-26 nm. XRD and EDX analysis indicated that the biosynthesized nanoparticles were crystallized in face centered cubic symmetry with the existence of Ag2O. A possible organic compound in DPE involving in the reduction and stabilization of nanoparticles was revealed by FTIR. Moreover, the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited effective antibacterial action against representative pathogenic bacteria. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.