A dual-purpose silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Detarium microcarpum: An under-utilized species.

The need for green synthesis of emerging industrial materials has led to the biosynthesis of nanoparticles from plants to circumvent the adverse by-products of chemical synthesis. In this study, the leaf extract of Detarium mirocarpum Guill & Perr, a small tree belonging to the family Fabaceae (Legume), was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (DAgNPs). DAgNPs were characterized using spectroscopic techniques (Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy) which showed hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups to be responsible for their synthesis.