Phytosynthesis of colloidal Ag-AgCl nanoparticles mediated by Tilia sp. leachate, evaluation of their behaviour in liquid phase and catalytic properties

Our hypothesis introduced (i) Tilia sp. leachate as the basic platform for Ag-AgCl nanoparticle phytosynthesis as a new bionanotechnological protocol, (ii) determination of Ag-AgCl colloidal properties during periodic temperature changes and (iii) confirmation of formed colloid as an active and fundamental catalytic tool for degradation of organic pollutants. Easy-to-prepare Tilia sp. leachate was mixed with silver precursor to form the Ag-AgCl nanoparticle system. We used SEM and FTIR to determine Tilia matrix organic/inorganic compounds and then performed STEM, ICP-MS, UV/VIS and XRD analysis to phytosynthesize Ag-AgCl nanoparticles. We confirmed that Tilia sp. leachate contained specific biomolecules with nanoparticle synthesis potential. Colloidal Ag-AgCl nanoparticles revealed dominant spherical morphology with uniform mean diameter from 14 to 16 nm. There were no significant differences observed in ζ-potential, ionic strength, hydrodynamic dimension or pH value during 5 weeks with periodic temperature changes, thus confirming stable colloidal properties. In addition, this specialized application of Ag-AgCl nanoparticles was performed by effective 4-nitrophenol catalysis at low Ag-AgCl NP concentration and very rapid reaction kinetics.