ABSTRACT
Pomegranate waste poses an environmental challenge in Arequipa. Simultaneously, interest in sustainable materials like natural rubber latex (NRL) is growing, with Peruvian communities offering a promising source. This study explores the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using pomegranate peel extract and their incorporation into NRL nanofibers for enhanced functionalities. An eco-friendly process utilized silver nitrate and pomegranate peel extract as a reducing and capping agent to synthesize AgNPs. The resulting AgNPs and NRL/AgNPs nanofibers were characterized using imaging and spectroscopic techniques such as UV-vis, TGA, FTIR, XRD, Raman, SEM, and DLS. Green-synthesized AgNPs were spherical and crystalline, with an average diameter of 59 nm. They showed activity against K. pneumoniae, E. coli, B. cereus, and S. aureus (IC50: 51.32, 4.87, 27.72, and 69.72 µg/mL, respectively). NRL and NRL/AgNPs nanofibers (300-373 nm diameter) were successfully fabricated. The composite nanofibers exhibited antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae and B. cereus. This study presents a sustainable approach by utilizing pomegranate waste for AgNP synthesis and NRL sourced from Peruvian communities. Integrating AgNPs into NRL nanofibers produced composites with antimicrobial properties. This work has potential applications in smart textiles, biomedical textiles, and filtration materials where sustainability and antimicrobial functionality are crucial.
ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is an innovative field of study that has made significant progress due to its potential versatility and wide range of applications, precisely because of the development of metal nanoparticles such as copper. Nanoparticles are bodies composed of a nanometric cluster of atoms (1-100 nm). Biogenic alternatives have replaced their chemical synthesis due to their environmental friendliness, dependability, sustainability, and low energy demand. This ecofriendly option has medical, pharmaceutical, food, and agricultural applications. When compared to their chemical counterparts, using biological agents, such as micro-organisms and plant extracts, as reducing and stabilizing agents has shown viability and acceptance. Therefore, it is a feasible alternative for rapid synthesis and scaling-up processes. Several research articles on the biogenic synthesis of copper nanoparticles have been published over the past decade. Still, none provided an organized, comprehensive overview of their properties and potential applications. Thus, this systematic review aims to assess research articles published over the past decade regarding the antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial, dye removal, and catalytic activities of biogenically synthesized copper nanoparticles using the scientific methodology of big data analytics. Plant extract and micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) are addressed as biological agents. We intend to assist the scientific community in comprehending and locating helpful information for future research or application development.
