Phytosynthesis of colloidal Ag-AgCl nanoparticles mediated by Tilia sp leachate, evaluation of their behaviour in liquid phase and catalytic properties

Abstract

Our hypothesis introduced (i) Tilia sp. leachate as the basic platform for Ag-AgCl nanoparticle phytosynthesis as a new bionanotechnological protocol, (ii) determination of Ag-AgCl colloidal properties during periodic temperature changes and (iii) confirmation of formed colloid as an active and fundamental catalytic tool for degradation of organic pollutants. Easy-to-prepare Tilia sp. leachate was mixed with silver precursor to form the Ag-AgCl nanoparticle system. We used SEM and FTIR to determine Tilia matrix organic/inorganic compounds and then performed STEM, ICP-MS, UV/VIS and XRD analysis to phytosynthesize Ag-AgCl nanoparticles. We confirmed that Tilia sp. leachate contained specific biomolecules with nanoparticle synthesis potential. Colloidal Ag-AgCl nanoparticles revealed dominant spherical morphology with uniform mean diameter from 14 to 16 nm. There were no significant differences observed in zeta-potential, ionic strength, hydrodynamic dimension or pH value during 5 weeks with periodic temperature changes, thus confirming stable colloidal properties. In addition, this specialized application of Ag-AgCl nanoparticles was performed by effective 4-nitrophenol catalysis at low Ag-AgCl NP concentration and very rapid reaction kinetics.