Characterization of Intracellular Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized by Biomass of Aspergillus terreus

Greener synthesis of nanoparticle is a revolutionizing area in research field. Biological method of reduction of metal ions is often preferred because they are clean, safe, biocompatible, and environmentally acceptable than physical, chemical, and mechanical methods. The wet biomass of Aspergillus terreus (A. terreus) was utilized for the intracellular synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles were produced when an aqueous solution of chloroauric acid was reduced by A. terreus biomass as the reducing agent. Production of gold nanoparticles was confirmed by the color change of biomass from yellow to pinkish violet. The produced nanoparticles were then characterized by FT-IR, SEM, EDS, and XRD. The SEM images revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical, irregularly shaped with no definite morphology. Average size of the biosynthesized gold nanoparticles was 186 nm. The presence of the gold nanoparticle was confirmed by EDS analysis. Crystalline nature of synthesized gold nanoparticle was confirmed by XRD pattern.