Effects of reaction conditions on light-dependent silver nanoparticle biosynthesis mediated by cell extract of green alga Neochloris oleoabundans.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by incubating the mixture of AgNO3 solution and whole-cell aqueous extracts (WCAEs) of Neochloris oleoabundans under light conditions. By conducting single-factor and multi-factor optimization, the effects of parameters including AgNO3 concentration, pH, and extraction time were quantitatively evaluated. The optimal conditions in terms of AgNP yield were found to be 0.8 mM AgNO3, pH 5, and 9-h extraction. The AgNPs thus synthesized were quasi-spherical with a mean particle diameter of 16.63 nm and exhibited decent uniformity as well as antibacterial activities, which may facilitate AgNP biosynthesis's application in the near future.