Green synthesis, structural characterization, and catalytic activity of silver nanoparticles stabilized with Bridelia retusa leaf extract

An environmentally benign method to synthesize silver nanoparticles (SNPs) using the leaf extract of Bridelia retusa was developed. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized SNPs displayed a surface plasmon peak at 420 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the irregular shaped nanoparticles, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) ascertained the presence of metallic silver by showing a strong signal at 3 eV. The crystalline structure of metallic silver was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mean size of the SNPs was calculated as 16.21 nm. Fourier infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic studies displayed specific bands for various functional groups and affirmed the function of reduction and stabilization of SNPs. The stability was endorsed by the zeta potential value of -18.1 mV. The results evidenced that this leaf extract-mediated synthesis method is eco-friendly, rapid, and cheap. The catalytic power of the SNPs was investigated for Rhodamine B dye degradation. The SNPs completely degraded Rhodamine B within 9 min; thus, the dye degradation process was very rapid. The pseudo-first order degradation constant was found out to be 0.1323 min(-1). This paves the way for the future development of novel nano-catalysts to reduce environmental pollution.