Phytogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles: mechanisms and applications

Abstract Due to the innate, ecofriendly biological synthesis of metal nanoparticles, bionanotechnology has emerged as one of the most promising subjects. Gold nanomaterials have gained global attention owing to their diverse nature of applications in industry, biomedicine, and agriculture. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are in high demand for their unique properties such as large surface area, surface plasmon resonance, and high dispersion. Phytonanomaterials have paved the way for a cleaner and safer environment with reduced toxicity and cost-effectiveness. Extracellular and intracellular synthesis of phytogenic nanoparticles eliminates hurdles for maintaining cultures. Plants contain an array of metabolites that act as reducing and capping agents that lead to the formation of stable metal nanoparticles. In this chapter, we explain the methods by which AuNPs can be obtained either by the use of whole plants as a living system or different plant parts, discuss the mechanisms that mediate the phytosynthesis of AuNPs, and further, highlight their potential applications.