Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Pomegranate Peel Extract

Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is extensively used in the consumer products and in the medical applications due to its antibacterial property. In this study, AgNPs were synthesized by a simple green chemistry procedure using three difference pH values of pomegranate peel extract as reducing and stabilizing agent and silver nitrate (AgNO3) as a precursor. The formation of AgNPs was elucidated using various instrumentation techniques including UV-Vis, FTIR, XRD, EDX and TEM. UV-Vis spectra showed the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak in the range of 400-500 nm. Crytalline nature and fcc phase of AgNPs were revealed by XRD pattern. FTIR analysis provided the presence of phytochemicals responsible for the reduction and stabilization of AgNPs. TEM analysis demonstrated that size and morphology of the prepared AgNPs were in the nanoscale range of 5-45 nm with irregular spherical in shape. The existence of the elemental silver was observed from EDX analysis. Furthermore, AgNPs showed an effective antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.