Microwave irradiation synthesis of silver nanoparticles using cellulose from Eichhornia crassipes plant shoot

We herein report a simple, microwave-assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using cellulose extracted from Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) plant shoot as reducing and capping agents. The observation of brown colouration with characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of silver in the absorption spectra indicated the formation of Ag-NPs. The electron microscope results showed that the as-synthesised Ag-NPs are highly monodispersed, small, and spherical in shape with the average particle diameter of 2.17±0.40 nm. The high resolution electron microscope image confirmed the crystallinity of the material while the surface chemistry of the as-synthesised Ag-NPs studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed successful capping by cellulose.