Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures Vol. 6, No 1, January-March 2011, p. 325-330 ENVIRONMENTAL BENIGN SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING PHYLLOSTACHYS SP LEAVES EXTRACT A. JEGAN a,b , A. RAMASUBBU c , S. VASANTH KUMAR b* , M. BALAMURUGAN a , S. SARAVANAN a a SONASTARCH, Department of Chemistry, Sona College of Technology, Salem – 630 005, India. b Department of Chemistry and Department of Nanotechnology, Karunya University, Coimbatore – 641 114, India c PG and Research Department of Chemistry, Government Arts College, Coimbatore – 641 018, India In this paper we present an effective and environmental benign synthesis of silver nanoparticles using natural extracts of phyllostachys sp. These nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles was studied by UV- vis spectroscopy. The UV spectra of the silver nanoparticles showed an adsorption peak at 425 nm. XRD results reveal that the nanostructures possess a face- centered cubic crystal structure. The structure and morphology of silver nanoparticles were also confirmed by Transmission electron microscopy. The TEM images reveal that the silver nanoparticles are spherical in shape and its size varied from 25 – 35 nm. (Received January 24, 2011; January 30, 2011) Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, phyllostachys sp, silver, leaves extract, TEM, XRD, UV 1. Introduction In recent years novel nanomaterials synthesis has caught the attention of many researchers. Synthesis of nanomaterials in an environmental benign way is a challenge. Silver nanoparticles have unique catalytic, optical, electrical and antimicrobial properties [1]. Silver is a nontoxic inorganic antimicrobial agent, which is inhibiting 650 types of microbe’s growth [2]. Various methods are available for synthesis of silver nanoparticles such as chemical reduction [3], sol gel [4], hydrothermal [5], sonochemical [6], thermal decomposition [7] and microwave irradiation method [8]. All the above methods involve the usage of hazardous reagents for synthesis of silver nanoparticles. In view of an environmental sustenance, there is an urgent need to develop an ecofriendly method of synthesis of nanomaterials. Many of the reports published involve the biological synthesis of nanomaterials using bacteria, fungi and plant extracts. Silver nanoparticles have been synthesized using various plant extracts such as Cinnamon camphora [9], Cinnamon zeylanicum [10], Geranium [11], Neem leaf broth [12], Aloe vera plant extracts [13], lemongrass extract [14], Tamarind leaf extract [15] and Acalypha indica [16]. In this paper we are reporting a simple, effective, low cost and environmental safe synthesis of silver nanoparticles using phyllostachys sp leaves extract. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD and TEM. * Corresponding author: kumar2359@yahoo.com