Control over the Biological Synthesis of Ag Nanoparticles by Selection of the Specific Algal Species

Abstract

The application of green synthesis in the nano-science and technology is of great importance in the area of the preparation of various materials. In this work, three selected algal species Parachlorella kessleri, Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides and Desmodesmus quadricauda were successfully used for the preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Presence of AgNPs was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. AgNPs produced by P. kessleri had narrow size distribution and average sizes of 7.6 nm. However, nanoparticle production lasted for long time. Nanoparticle formation by D. chlorelloides was the fastest, although, their average sizes were 23.4 nm with broad size distribution. Nanoparticles produced by D. quadricauda had average sizes 23.9 nm but they were the least stable, aggregated and precipitated from solutions within 3 days. These results confirmed that the size distribution and mean diameter of the nanoparticles, crucial for various applications, can be controlled by the organism selection.