Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Barberry and Saffron Extracts

Abstract

Recently, synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is the subject of a lot of studies due to various applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. The development of non-toxic and safe methods such as green chemistry to produce AuNPs is obviously recommended. In the current study, 2 antioxidant rich herbs of barberry and saffron stigma were applied as reducing agents for the 1-pot synthesis of size-controlled AuNPs. These AuNPs were characterized through ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Optimal temperature and pH for the biosynthesis of AuNPs conjugated with herbs were 50°C and 7.5, respectively. XRD and TEM results authorized AuNPs production in 5 - 15 nm for barberry and 5 - 10 nm for saffron and confirmed the stability, sphericity, and uniformity for both the nanoparticles.