Agroforestry waste moringa oleifera petals mediated green synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their anti-cancer and catalytic activity

Stable gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesised from aqueous 1M chloroauric acid and Moringa oleifera flower aqueous extract. The UV-vis spectrum of AuNPs displays the surface plasmon resonance at 540nm. The AuNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and dynamic light scattering whilst Fourier transform infrared and 1H-NMR spectroscopy were used to probe the type of capping agents. The AuNPs were assessed for their catalytic reduction of nitrophenol and nitroaniline by UV-vis and showed a rapid reduction within 3min thereby indicating degradation of industrial effluents. Furthermore, the AuNPs may possess good anti-cancer properties.