Morphological and structural properties of silver/chlorargyrite nanoparticles prepared using Senecio madagascariensis leaf extract and interaction studies with bovine serum albumin

Abstract Senecio madagascariensis leaf extract was used to synthesize silver/chlorargyrite nanoparticles. XRD diffraction patterns confirmed the nanocrystalline phase with a face-centered crystal structure of metallic silver. The TEM revealed that the silver and silver chloride nanoparticles were spherical and polydisperse with a decreasing size with respect to the concentration of the silver salt and an average size in the range 13–25 nm. The optical band gaps for Ag/AgCl are 2.71, 2.73, and 2.66 eV for nanoparticles prepared with 20 mM, 50 mM, and 100 mM, respectively. The SEM–EDX confirmed the presence of elemental Cl and Ag. The results show that S. madagascariensis could be used to prepare environmentally friendly bioactive silver nanoparticles. Fluorescence data indicated that static quenching played a role in the formation of the complex between AgNPs and BSA. Graphical abstract