Single-step biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using honeybee-collected pollen

Abstract

In this work, we describe a simplified and bottom-up synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using pollen collected by Andean honeybees as a natural reducing and capping agent for the first time. The biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by their optical properties, electrochemical properties, average size, morphology, and purity by various analytical techniques. The synthesized AgNPs were spherical, having 10–35 nm size, showed λ_max at 440 nm, well dispersed, and remained stable for up to 1 month under laboratory conditions without any sedimentation. Moreover, we also investigated the usability of synthesized AgNPs as antioxidants against 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Thus, this protocol may be adapted for the large-scale production of nanoparticles without the use of chemical solvents and supports the importance of local resources in green chemistry.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Honeybee pollen
• silver nanoparticles
• spectroscopy
• antioxidant
• ecofriendly

Disclosure statement

The authors confirm they have no conflict of interests.

Additional information

Funding

This scientific work has been funded by the (a) Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Ecuador, (b) Prometeo Project of the National Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT), Ecuador and (c) TATA College, Chaibasa, India.