Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Ocimum tenuiflorum and Azadirachta indica leaf extract and their antibacterial activity

Abstract

Abstract As green nanotechnology creates, researchers are growing increasingly interested in the ecologically benign creation of nanoparticles. Due to their unique biological uses and physiologically active plant metabolites that aid in green synthesis, biosynthesized nanoparticles are garnering interest. This work describes a simple method of synthesising silver nanoparticles using tulsi ( Ocimum tenuiflorum ) and neem ( Azadirachta indica ) leaf extracts. The plant extracts operate as reducing agents, with silver nitrate acting as a precursor. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by the colour changing from greenish brown to dark brown. The leaf broth caused the aqueous silver ions to reduce in size and form silver nanoparticles in a green way. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles were characterised using XRD and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. It has been discovered that tulsi and neem leaf extracts have the ability to convert silver ions into silver nanoparticles in less than ten minutes of reaction time. Additionally, the biosynthesised AgNPs’ antibacterial properties against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains were assessed. Therefore, this method may be applied to the rapid and safe biosynthesis of stable silver nanoparticles for the environment.