Green synthesis of nano-silver using Syzygium samarangense flower extract for multifaceted applications in biomedical and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Syzygium samarangense flower extract has been explored. The impact of different concentrations of S. samarangense flower extract (5, 10, and 15 mL) on the formation of silver nanoparticles were investigated. UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron microscope with Elemental Dispersive spectrum (SEM with EDS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy were used to analyze the structural, vibrational and morphological properties of silver nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles were monodispersed, spherical in shape, and averaged 9 nm in size, with a surface plasmon peak of 446 nm. The biomolecules present in the floral extract of S. samarangense were being used as a reducing agent. The antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles has been shown to be effective against Escherichia coli and S. aureus. The synthesized silver nanoparticles result excellent photocatalytic activity on degradation of Methylene Blue. The antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles suggests that may be used in water treatment. Under direct sunlight radiation, the photocatalytic performance of the produced Ag-NPs photocatalyst was examined by observing the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) dye aqueous solution. Within 120 min of direct sunlight, a maximum of 80% photocatalytic degradation of MB was achieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research to use Ag-NPs derived from S. samarangense flowers as a photocatalyst for the efficient degradation of MB dye.