Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by Achillea eriophora DC extract

Nanoparticles have a wide range of applications due to their unique biological andphysicochemical properties. Among metal nanoparticles, silver nanoparticlesare of special importance due to their wide application. Although there are severalchemical and physical methods for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles, biologicalmethods are more suitable due to their time and low energy, non-use of toxicsolvents, and biocompatibility. In this study, an aqueous extract of dried flowers ofAchillea eriophora (Shirazi yarrow) was used as a reducing agent for the synthesisof silver nanoparticles. The reaction was performed at room temperatureand showed a change in color from pale yellow to dark brown to form silvernanoparticles. UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fouriertransforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and particle sizing (PSA) were used toevaluate the physicochemical properties of the formed nanoparticles. Thepresence of an absorption peak at a wavelength of about 450 nm confirmed theformation of silver nanoparticles. SEM results showed that the shape of particleswas spherical and their particle size ranges were from 38 to 144 nm. FTIR resultsalso showed the role of reducing groups on the surface of nanoparticles. Theresults of PSA showed that the particles have low polydispersity and the extractis desirable for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Based on these results, itcan be said that the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Shirazi yarrow extractis a simple, fast, non-toxic, and biocompatible method and can be used in food,medicine, and agriculture.