State-of-art of silver and gold nanoparticles synthesis routes, characterization and applications: a review

To date, the noble metal-based nanoparticles have been used in every field of life. The Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been fabricated employing different techniques to tune the properties. In this study, the methodologies developed and adopted for the fabrication of Au and Ag have been discussed, which include physical, chemical and biological routes. The Au and Ag characteristics (morphology, size, shape) along with advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The Au and Ag NPs catalytic and biomedical applications are discussed. For the Ag and Au NPs characterization, SEM (scanning electron microscope), TEM (transmission electron microscope), FTIR (Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy), XRD (X-rays diffraction) and DLS (dynamic light scattering) techniques are employed. The properties of Au and Ag NPs found dependent to synthesis approach, i.e., the size, shape and morphologies, which showed a promising Catalytic, drug delivery and antimicrobial agent applications. The review is a comprehensive study for the comparison of Au and Ag NPs synthesis, properties and applications in different fields.