Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its environmental sensor ability to some heavy metals

This study marks a pioneering effort in utilizing Vachellia tortilis subsp. raddiana (Savi) Kyal. & Boatwr., (commonly known as acacia raddiana) leaves as both a reducing and stabilizing agent in the green "eco-friendly" synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The research aimed to optimize the AgNPs synthesis process by investigating the influence of pH, temperature, extract volume, and contact time on both the reaction rate and the resulting AgNPs' morphology as well as discuss the potential of AgNPs in detecting some heavy metals. Various characterization methods, such as UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), Zeta sizer, EDAX, and transmitting electron microscopy (TEM), were used to thoroughly analyze the properties of the synthesized AgNPs. The XRD results verified the successful production of AgNPs with a crystallite size between 20 to 30 nm. SEM and TEM analyses revealed that the AgNPs are primarily spherical and rod-shaped, with sizes ranging from 8 to 41 nm. Significantly, the synthesis rate of AgNPs was notably higher in basic conditions (pH 10) at 70 °C. These results underscore the effectiveness of acacia raddiana as a source for sustainable AgNPs synthesis. The study also examined the AgNPs' ability to detect various heavy metal ions colorimetrically, including Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Co²⁺. UV-Vis spectroscopy proved useful for this purpose. The color of AgNPs shifts from brownish-yellow to pale yellow, colorless, pale red, and reddish yellow when detecting Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions, respectively. This change results in an alteration of the AgNPs' absorbance band, vanishing with Hg²⁺ and shifting from 423 to 352 nm, 438 nm, and 429 nm for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions, respectively. The AgNPs showed high sensitivity, with detection limits of 1.322 × 10⁻⁵ M, 1.37 × 10⁻⁷ M, 1.63 × 10⁻⁵ M, and 1.34 × 10⁻⁴ M for Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Co²⁺, respectively. This study highlights the potential of using acacia raddiana for the eco-friendly synthesis of AgNPs and their effectiveness as environmental sensors for heavy metals, showcasing strong capabilities in colorimetric detection.