Wolfberry fruit (Lycium barbarum) extract mediated novel route for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles

A green, simple and low cost process for production of well dispersed, small size silver nanoparticles with narrow distribution from 3 nm to 15 nm was described. In this method, silver nanoparticles were prepared in aqueous medium by employing wolfberry fruit extract as both reducing and stabilizing agent without utilizing any other capping and reducing agent. The generation of metallic nanoparticles was observed by change of color and the UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The obtained silver nanoparticles were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the as-synthesized silver nanoparticles are highly crystalline in nature, spherical in shape. The reaction times, silver nitrate concentrations and wolfberry fruit extract amounts play crucial roles in the synthesis of small silver nanoparticles. The method displayed in this paper offers a very hopeful mean to prepare other noble nanoparticles using renewable materials as reducing and capping agent.