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Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in Pharmacy and Medicine. In particular, AgNPs synthesized and mediated by plant extracts have shown topossess several biological activities. In the present study, AgNPs were synthesized using Picea abies L. stem bark extract as reducing agent. Factors, such as metal ion solution, pH, and time, which play a role in the AgNPs synthesis, were assessed. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Further, the study has been extended to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of AgNPs. The broad peak obtained at 411–475 nm (UV-Vis spectroscopy), and the color change pattern, confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs. TEM results showed spherical or rarely polygonal AgNPs with an average size of 44 nm at pH = 9. The AgNPs showed antioxidant activity and antibacterial effect against human pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results show that spruce bark extract is suitable for obtaining AgNPs, with antibacterial and antioxidant activity.

Green synthesis is one of the rapid and best ways for silver nanoparticles (AgNP) synthesis. In the present study, synthesis and bioactivity of AgNPs has been demonstrated using water beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) bark extract. The physical and chemical factors such as time, metal ion solution, and pH, which play a vital role in the AgNPs synthesis, were assessed. The AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the obtained AgNPs was evaluated. AgNPs were characterized by color change pattern, and the broad peak obtained at 420–475 nm with UV-Vis confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs. FT-IR results confirmed that phenols and proteins of beech bark extract are mainly responsible for capping and stabilization of synthesized AgNPs. TEM micrographs showed spherical or rarely polygonal and triangular particles with an average size of 32 nm at pH = 9, and 62 nm at pH = 4. Furthermore, synthesized AgNPs were found to exhibit antioxidant activity and have antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results indicate that bark extract of F. sylvatica L. is suitable for synthesizing stable AgNPs, which act as an excellent antimicrobial agent.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nano-tags are of increasing interest in biomedical research as viable alternatives to bio-imaging techniques based on semiconductor quantum dots or fluorescent molecules. In this work, we fabricate silica-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) encoded with two molecular labels to operate as highly effective spectroscopic nano-tags in near-infrared SERS (NIR-SERS) and surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering combined with metal-enhanced fluorescence (SERRS-MEF), respectively. Specifically, a non-fluorescent molecule with strong affinity for a gold surface (para-aminothiophenol, p-ATP) and a common dye (Nile Blue, NB) with lower affinity have been successfully tested as NIR-SERS nano-tags under laser excitation at 785 nm. Moreover, as a result of designing AuNRs with a plasmon resonance band overlapping the electronic absorption band of the encoded NB molecule, a dual SERRS and MEF performance has been devised under resonant excitation at 633 nm. We explain this result by considering a partial desorption of NB molecules from the metal surface and their trapping into the silica shell at favorable distances to avoid quenching and enhance the fluorescence signal. Finally, we prove that the silica shell prevents the desorption or chemical transformation of p-ATP into p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene species, as previously noticed, thus providing a highly stable SERRS signal, which is crucial for imaging applications.

The effective recycling of polymer materials remains unresolved to this day, and this has had a devastating effect on the environment. This study examines an alternative method to PET recycling that is the generation of polymer fibers and fiber mats for filtration applications. The electrospinning instrumentation used in this study had to be designed and built in order to carry out the research. We have managed to produce PET fibers with 200-600 nm diameter, and free-standing fiber mats that could potentially be used in filtration applications.