One pot synthesis and characterization of gold nanocatalyst using Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) oil: Green approach

• We report the sunlight induced synthesis of gold nanocatalyst using Plukenetia volubilis oil.
• The synthesized gold nanocatalyst is spherical and has an average size of 5–15 nm.
• It showed photocatalytic degradation activity (> 75%) against methylene blue.
• Environmentally benign, non-toxic and cost-effective method is suggested.

In this report, a simple and cost-effective methodology has been developed to obtain gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) oil in the presence of sunlight. The spectroscopic and morphological properties of AuNPs were characterized by using UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analyzer, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV–vis and TEM reveal that the nanostructure of the gold particles has surfaced plasmon resonance at 515–520 nm and is almost spherical in shape with an average size of 5–15 nm. XRD studies confirmed the face cubic center (fcc) unit cell structure of AuNPs. The as-synthesized AuNPs showed remarkable photocatalytic decomposition of the methylene blue (> 75%) without using any reducing agent and weak antioxidant activity (21–16%) against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl at the different sunlight exposure times. The experimental approach is promising and suggested that the sunlight is a good source of energy for enhancement of AuNP synthesis via Sacha inchi oil and its photocatalytic activity.

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