Green synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles using microemulsion methods

Abstract Microemulsion-assisted chemical synthesis of nanostructured materials has been proved to be a potential eco-friendly approach to achieve superior results over conventional synthesis approaches. This method provides very unique nano/micro reactors such as micelles, reverse micelles of various shapes and sizes. Further, through surfactant and reactant concentration, one can control the reaction rate and also the product shape, size, and yield are the noteworthy attractions of this synthesis method. In this chapter, the parameters associated with the formation of the microemulsion such as types of surfactants, cosurfactants, solvents, water-to-oil ratio and the importance of microemulsion as a nanoreactor for nanomaterials synthesis are detailed with experimental evidences. A sincere effort has been made to provide comprehensive information about the synthesis of inorganic nanostructured materials such as metals, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, and quantum dots via a microemulsion-assisted protocol. This chapter also explores the various nanostructured materials with important morphological structures synthesized by various research groups in the past two decades using this method.