Lactobacillus Mediated Synthesis of Silver Oxide Nanoparticles

The ability of prokaryotic microorganisms to reduce the inorganic metals has opened up an exciting eco-friendly approach towards the development of natural 'nano-factories'. However, a number of issues have to be addressed from the nanotechnological and microbiological point of view before such a biosynthesis approach can compete with the existing physical and chemical methods. This report investigates the synthesis of silver oxide nanoparticles using Lactobacillus mindensis, isolated using fixer solution from an X-ray photographic laboratory. Nanoparticles obtained were characterized by means of UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The UV-vis spectrum shows the absorbance maximum at 430 nm, which is a characteristic of surface plasmon resonance of silver. Further, the presence of stable nanoparticles in the range of 2-20 nm was determined using TEM analysis. Silver nanoparticles in the form of silver oxide were confirmed in the XRD study. In conclusion, Lactobacillus mindensis serves as a promising candidate in the quest to synthesize silver oxide nanoparticles through green chemistry.