Photocatalytic action of AgCl nanoparticles and its antibacterial activity

• AgNPs were prepared using M. citrifolia extract.
• XRD pattern evidence for crystalline nature of AgNPs.
• Biomolecules which is present in leaf extact act as capping agent.
• AgNPs may provide potential applications as good catalytic activity.

The scientific community is searching for biosynthetic methods for the production of metallic nanoparticles. Biogenic pathway has now become a vast developing area of research. A novel route biological synthesis of silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCI-NPs) using aqueous leaf extract of Morindacitrifolia under ambient conditions were evaluated. Synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of pH on biosynthesis of AgCI-NPs were investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy. TEM images showed that the diameter of stable AgCI-NPs were approximately 12 nm. FTIR spectra provide the evidence for the presence of protein as possible biomolecules responsible for reduction and capping of nanoparticles. The synthesized AgCI-NPs were observed to have a good catalytic activity on the reduction of methylene blue (MB) dye by M.citrifolia extract which has been confirmed by decrease in absorbance maximum values of methylene blue with respect to time using UV–vis spectroscopy and was attributed to the electron relay effect.