Synthesis of nanoparticles composed of silver and silver chloride for a plasmonic photocatalyst using an extract from needles of Pinus densiflora

•Nanoparticles are synthesised using an extract from pine needles.•Neither external chemicals nor halide sources are used in the synthetic protocol.•The particles act as an effective plasmonic photocatalyst.

Nanoparticles composed of silver and silver chloride (Ag@AgCl NPs) are synthesised by a two-step procedure; (1) Synthesis of silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCl NPs) via phyto reduction mixing an aqueous extract from needles of Pinus densiflora (red pine) with an aqueous solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3) in the absence of light; and (2) synthesis of Ag@AgCl NPs via photo reduction exposing AgCl NPs to light from a solar simulator. The optical properties and elemental composition of as-synthesised Ag@AgCl NPs are examined for further applications of the nanoparticles as a plasmonic photocatalyst.

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