Green Synthesis of Ag and Au Nanoparticles from Micro and Macro Algae - Review

The production of nanostructures, nanocomposites and modified nanostructures for water remediation will increase because of the need for producing clean water in fast and low energy consumption ways. Nanoparticles are widely used various fields such as electronics, cosmetics, water purification, biomedical, and biotechnology. Nanoparticles can be synthesized by physical methods, chemical and biological methods. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles using biological agents have gained much attention in the area of nanotechnology in last few decades because of cost effective, nontoxic, and ecofriendly. Algae have been used to reduce metal ions and subsequently for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles. The present review is devoted to the possibility of metal nanoparticle synthesis using alga extract. The important advantages of these biological systems are an ecofriendly, economical, high-yielding, expeditious and energy-efficient method. This review is mainly focused on recent progress on the utilization of algae of various classes, for the synthesis of Silver and Gold nanoparticles, their characterization and possible mechanisms.