Revisiting the Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles: Uncovering Influences of Plant Extracts as Reducing Agents for Enhanced Synthesis Efficiency and Its Biomedical Applications.

Background: Conventional nanoparticle synthesis methods involve harsh conditions, high costs, and environmental pollution. In this context, researchers are actively searching for sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives to conventional chemical synthesis methods. This has led to the development of green synthesis procedures among which the exploration of the plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles experienced a great development. Especially, because plant extracts can work as reducing and stabilizing agents. This opens up new possibilities for cost-effective, environmentally-friendly nanoparticle synthesis with enhanced size uniformity and stability. Moreover, bio-inspired nanoparticles derived from plants exhibit intriguing pharmacological properties, making them highly promising for use in medical applications due to their biocompatibility and nano-dimension. Objective: This study investigates the role of specific phytochemicals, such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and proteins, in plant-mediated nanoparticle synthesis together with their influence on particle size, stability, and properties. Additionally, we highlight the potential applications of these bio-derived nanoparticles, particularly with regard to drug delivery, disease management, agriculture, bioremediation, and application in other industries. Methodology: Extensive research on scientific databases identified green synthesis methods, specifically plant-mediated synthesis, with a focus on understanding the contributions of phytochemicals like phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and proteins. The database search covered the field's development over the past 15 years. Results: Insights gained from this exploration highlight plant-mediated green synthesis for cost-effective nanoparticle production with significant pharmacological properties. Utilizing renewable biological resources and controlling nanoparticle characteristics through biomolecule interactions offer promising avenues for future research and applications. Conclusion: This review delves into the scientific intricacies of plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles, highlighting the advantages of this approach over the traditional chemical synthesis methods. The study showcases the immense potential of green synthesis for medical and other applications, aiming to inspire further research in this exciting area and promote a more sustainable future.

Synthesis and characterisation of Ga- and In-doped CdS by solventless thermolysis of single source precursors.

We report a facile and low temperature synthesis of Ga- and In-doped CdS nanoparticles from molecular precursors. Diethyldithiocarbamate complexes of Cd(II), Ga(III), and In(III), were synthesised and decomposed in tandem through solventless thermolysis, producing Ga- or In-doped CdS. The resultant MxCd1-xS1+0.5x (where M = Ga/In at x values of 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) particulate powder was analysed by powder X-ray diffraction, which showed that both Ga (through all doping levels) and In (at doping levels <8 mol%) were successfully incorporated into the hexagonal CdS lattice without any impurities. Raman spectroscopy also showed no significant change from CdS. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphology and elemental dispersion through the doped CdS materials, showing homogenous incorporation of dopant. The optical and luminescent properties of the doped MxCd1-xS1+0.5x materials were examined by UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies respectively. All materials were found to exhibit excitonic emission, corresponding to band gap energies between 2.7 and 2.9 eV and surface defect induced emission which is more prominent for Ga than for In doping. Additionally, moderate doping slows down charge carrier recombination by increasing the lifetimes of excitonic and surface state emissions, but particularly for the latter process.

Discovery Potent of Thiazolidinedione Derivatives as Antioxidant, α-Amylase Inhibitor, and Antidiabetic Agent.

This work aimed to synthesize safe antihyperglycemic derivatives bearing thiazolidinedione fragment based on spectral data. The DFT theory discussed the frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), chemical reactivity of compounds, and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) to explain interaction between thiazolidinediones and the biological receptor. α-amylase is known as the initiator-hydrolysis of the of polysaccharides; therefore, developing α-amylase inhibitors can open the way for a potential diabetes mellitus drug. The molecular docking simulation was performed into the active site of PPAR-γ and α-amylase. We evaluated in vitro α-amylase's potency and radical scavenging ability. The compound 6 has the highest potency against α-amylase and radical scavenging compared to the reference drug and other members. They have been applied against anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic activity (in vivo) based on an alloxan-induced diabetic rat model during a 30-day treatment protocol. The most potent anti hyperglycemic members are 6 and 11 with reduction percentage of blood glucose level by 69.55% and 66.95%, respectively; compared with the normal control. Other members exhibited moderate to low anti-diabetic potency. All compounds showed a normal value against the tested biochemical parameters (CH, LDL, and HDL). The ADMET profile showed good oral bioavailability without any observed carcinogenesis effect.

Scalable and Universal Route for the Deposition of Binary, Ternary, and Quaternary Metal Sulfide Materials from Molecular Precursors.

A range of binary, ternary (CFS), and quaternary (CZTS) metal sulfide materials have been successfully deposited onto the glass substrates by air-spray deposition of metal diethyldithiocarbamate molecular precursors followed by pyrolysis (18 examples). The as-deposited materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), Raman spectroscopy, secondary electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, which in all cases showed that the materials were polycrystalline with the expected elemental stoichiometry. In the case of the higher sulfides, EDX spectroscopy mapping demonstrated the spatial homogeneity of the elemental distributions at the microscale. By using this simple and inexpensive method, we could potentially fabricate thin films of any given main group or transition metal chalcogenide material over large areas, theoretically on substrates with complex topologies.

Accessing γ-Ga2S3 by solventless thermolysis of gallium xanthates: a low-temperature limit for crystalline products.

Alkyl-xanthato gallium(iii) complexes of the form [Ga(S2COR)3], where R = Me (1), Et (2), iPr (3), nPr (4), nBu (5), sBu (6) and iBu (7), have been synthesized and fully characterised. The crystal structures for 1 and 3-7 have been solved and examined to elucidate if these structures are related to their decomposition. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to gain insight into the decomposition temperatures for each complex. Unlike previously explored metal xanthate complexes which break down at low temperatures (<250 °C), to form crystalline metal chalcogenides, powder X-ray diffraction measurements suggest that when R ≥ Et these complexes did not produce crystalline gallium sulfides until heated to 500 °C, where γ-Ga2S3 was the sole product formed. In the case of R = Me, Chugaev elimination did not occur and amorphous GaxSy products were formed. We conclude therefore that the low-temperature synthesis route offered by the thermal decomposition of metal xanthate precursors, which has been reported for many metal sulfide systems prior to this, may not be appropriate in the case of gallium sulfides.