Synthesis and Catalytic and Biological Activities of Silver and Copper Nanoparticles Using<i> Cassia occidentalis</i>

Abstract

An ecofriendly and green method for the synthesis of silver and copper nanoparticles has developed using aqueous leaves extract of <i>Cassia occidentalis</i>. The formation of AgNPs and CuNPs was monitored by measuring the UV-Vis spectra. The morphology and crystalline phase of the metal nanoparticles were determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy dispersive spectrophotometer (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The synthesized metal nanoparticles were generally found to be spherical and oval in shape. The AgNPs and CuNPs showed highly potent antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Salmonella typhi</i> bacteria, respectively. The CuNPs showed higher radical scavenging activity than AgNPs. The AgNPs showed lower haemolysis (1.7%) exhibiting lesser toxicity as compared to CuNPs. The CuNPs have better catalytic ability for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and 2-nitrophenol as compared to AgNPs.