Structural and morphological studies of silver nanoparticles prepared using Citrullus lanatus rind extract

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles had been prepared using Citrullus lanatus mediated biosynthetic methods in aqueous media. In the preparation process, the volumetric ratio of the AgNO3 solution and watermelon rind extract was varied by 1:3, 1:1, and 3:1. The synthesis process was carried out at a temperature of 80°C and pH of 10. The reduction process of Ag2+ ions into Ag0 metal was indicated by the change in color of the solution from light yellow to brownish-yellow colour. The powder of silver was collected by centrifugation after destabilizing the colloid using acetone and washed with DI-water. Optical, morphological, and structural properties were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. UV-Vis spectroscopy evidenced the characteristic of the absorbance spectra of Ag metal at the wavelength of∼410 nm. TEM images show that silver nanoparticles size is∼10-70 nm and confirm that Ag 1:3 sample have uniform particle sizes. XRD pattern exhibited two phases from Ag in state of Ag0 and Ag2+.