Biological synthesis of metallic nanoparticles.

The synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an active area of academic and, more importantly, "application research" in nanotechnology. A variety of chemical and physical procedures could be used for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. However, these methods are fraught with many problems including use of toxic solvents, generation of hazardous by-products, and high energy consumption. Accordingly, there is an essential need to develop environmentally benign procedures for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. A promising approach to achieve this objective is to exploit the array of biological resources in nature. Indeed, over the past several years, plants, algae, fungi, bacteria, and viruses have been used for production of low-cost, energy-efficient, and nontoxic metallic nanoparticles. In this review, we provide an overview of various reports of synthesis of metallic nanoparticles by biological means. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: This review provides an overview of various methods of synthesis of metallic nanoparticles by biological means. Many chemical and physical procedures used for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles are fraught with major problems: toxic solvents, hazardous by-products, high energy consumption. Over the past several years, plants, algae, fungi, bacteria, and viruses have been used for production of low-cost, energy-efficient, and nontoxic metallic nanoparticles. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.