Abstract

Green synthesized nanoparticles via plant extracts: actual and potential applications

Author(s): Marta I. Litter

The use of plant extracts is attracting much attention as a simple, environmentally friendly route to obtain metal, metal oxide, non-metal and even organic nanoparticles; considered an example of green chemistry, these extracts replace expensive and toxic compounds used as reducing and/or capping agents during the synthesis of the nanoparticles. These green nanoparticles have applications in a wide range of fields, such as medicine, biosensors, pollutants treatment, agriculture, catalysis and energy storage. In this chapter, preparation and characterization of silver, gold and iron nanoparticles prepared from plant extracts and inorganic salts of the metals are described, together with their main actual and potential uses. Biography Prof. Litter is Doctor in Chemistry (Buenos Aires University, Argentina, 1974) with Postdoctoral stage at the University of Arizona (USA, 1983). She is Senior Researcher of the Research Council (CONICET) and Full Professor at the University of General San Martín, Argentina. She was Principal Researcher at the National Atomic Commission where she was Head of the Environmental Chemistry Remediation Division. She authored more than 200 publications. She received the Mercosur Prize twice in 2006 and 2011. She was President of the 5th. International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment (As2014), Argentina, May 2014. She was designated pioneer on photo catalysis in Argentina (2016), Member of the TWAS (2019) and Member of the Latin American Academy of Sciences (2020). She has been finalist of the L'Oréal prize for women in Science 2021 Edition and received the Dr. Eduardo Charreau Prize 2021 Edition.