Green Synthesis And Characterization Studies Of Silver Ag Nanoparticles

Abstract

In this present report a green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the gelatin/protein nanogels under benign condition to prepare AgNP/gelatin/protein hybrid nanogels exhibiting metal-enhanced luminescence/fluorescence (MEL/MEF). The gelatin/protein nanogels, which were prepared by genipin cross-link of the preformed gelatin/protein polyion complexes (PICs), exhibited sizes ranging between 50 and 200 nm upon varying the protein and mixing weight ratio between gelatin and protein. These nanogels can serve not only as reducing agents but also as stabilizing agents for the growth of Ag NPs in the gel networks, rendering the as-prepared hybrid nanogels exhibiting colloid stability and MEL/MEF. AgNP/gelatin/HRP and AgNP/gelatin/LTF nanogels exhibited ~11-fold enhancement of bioluminescence in HRP-luminol system and ~50-fold enhancement of fluorescence as compared to free LTF in the cell uptake experiments, respectively. These hybrid nanogels are promising for optically enhanced diagnosis and therapy applications.