Synthesis and Characterization of Variable-Sized Silver Nanoparticles Using Pistacia palaestina Leaf Extract

Abstract

Pistacia palaestina (P. palaestina) leaf extract was employed in the synthesis of spherical silver (Ag) nanoparticles, serving as a dual-purpose agent for both reduction and stabilization. These nanoparticles exhibited a range of average sizes between 2 and 27 nm. The size of these nanoparticles was observed to change in response to different concentrations of silver nitrate (AgNO₃). This indicates that an increase in AgNO₃ concentration leads to a reduction in the size of the nanoparticles. The height and morphology were analyzed using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The crystalline nature of the Ag nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD analysis. Several properties of Ag nanoparticles, including their Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption, and photoluminescence (PL), have been studied. The Raman spectroscopy revealed prominent peaks at 585 cm⁻¹ assigned to skeletal deformation of C-S-C and 1580 cm⁻¹ is linked to symmetric in plane C − C ring stretching. In the UV–visible spectrophotometry analysis, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band was observed, ranging between 395 and 398 nm. Additionally, the photoluminescence properties of these nanoparticles were found to vary with the excitation wavelength, marked by a distinct peak at 365 nm, a shoulder peak at 395 nm, and broader peaks observed at 470, 640, 700, and 740 nm. Furthermore, optical analyses of P. palaestina leaf extract indicated the presence of significant active compounds, including polyphenols, glycerol, and chlorophylls.