ECO-FRIENDLY SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING AZADIRACHTA INDICA (NEEM) LEAF EXTRACT AND EVALUATION OF THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Background: More people want to learn about green synthesis methods and desire green nanomaterials. This is due of their connection. People know that silver nanoparticles, or AgNPs, destroy bacteria, but their current production uses environmentally harmful chemicals. This is true even though AgNPs are renowned for these properties. Azadirachta indica (Neem) is a safe, cost-effective, and ecologically friendly plant-mediated synthesis. This is because the plant possesses many phytochemicals.

Methods: The reducing and stabilising agent watery Neem leaf extract produced silver nanoparticles. This was done using chemicals. A colour shift was employed to visually identify nanoparticles, and UV–Visible spectroscopy confirmed their identification. Both approaches verified identification accuracy. Raman spectroscopy, dielectric analysis, XRD and EDS were utilised for additional characterisation. The agar well diffusion technique was utilised to test the synthesised AgNPs' antibacterial efficacy against several bacterial strains.

Results: A surface plasmon resonance peak in the UV–visible range proved nanoparticle production. Nanoparticle production enabled this discovery. Despite the EDS test showing a high silver content, the XRD study showed a crystalline structure. The investigation on antibacterial drugs found that Neem-mediated AgNPs inhibited microorganisms. This shows the nanoparticles' powerful antimicrobial effect.

Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the leaf extract of Azadirachta indica is an effective bio-resource that has the potential to be used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in a manner that is favourable to the environment. It has been shown that nanoparticles that have been synthesised possess strong antibacterial characteristics. As a result, these nanoparticles are attractive candidates for usage in the fields of medicine and pharmaceuticals.