Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using dried biomass of Diplazium esculentum (retz.) sw. and studies of their photocatalytic and anticoagulative activities

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has been accomplished via reduction of aqueous silver nitrate solution with the leaf powder of Diplazium esculentum (retz.) sw. The leaf powder acts as both reductant and stabilizer. D. esculentum (retz.) sw. is a pteridophyte (fern or fern allies) found in different parts of India and reported to be used for treatment of various diseases as herbal medicine. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) studies. The powder XRD pattern showed evidence for the formation of face-centered cubic structure of silver having average crystallite size 9.71 nm. The shapes of synthesized silver nanoparticles are mostly spherical, oval and triangular with sizes 10-45 nm. The as-synthesized Ag NPs were studied as catalyst in degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes under solar light illumination. The ability of Ag NPs to inhibit coagulation of human blood plasma was also investigated.