Gold nanoparticles - Synthesis by Sterculia acuminata extract and its catalytic efficiency in alleviating different organic dyes

The present study reports green and rapid synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Sterculia acuminata (S. acuminata) fruit extract. Different polyphenolic compounds in the extract being multi-functional acted as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The synthesized AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, TEM, FTIR, PSA and Zeta potential studies. Further, confirmation of active compounds (secondary metabolites) present in the fruit extract was done by HPLC analysis. The synthesized AuNPs were tested for their catalytic efficiency towards various organic pollutants such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and direct blue 24 (DB24). It is found that methylene blue and methyl orange were degraded faster than other pollutants. This is the first report on degradation of direct blue 24 using AuNPs as catalyst. (C) 2015 Elsevier ay. All rights reserved.