Electrospun nanofibres in agriculture and the food industry: a review.

The interesting characteristics of electrospun nanofibres, such as high surface-to-volume ratio, nanoporosity, and high safety, make them suitable candidates for use in a variety of applications. In the recent decade, electrospun nanofibres have been applied to different potential fields such as filtration, wound dressing, drug delivery, etc. and a significant number of review papers have been published in these fields. However, the use of electrospun nanofibres in agriculture is comparatively novel and is still in its infancy. In this paper, the specific applications of electrospun nanofibres in agriculture and food science, including plant protection using pheromone-loaded nanofibres, plant protection using encapsulation of biocontrol agents, preparation of protective clothes for farm workers, encapsulation of agrochemical materials, deoxyribonucleic acid extraction in agricultural research studies, pre-concentration and measurement of pesticides in crops and environmental samples, preparation of nanobiosensors for pesticide detection, encapsulation of food materials, fabrication of food packaging materials, and filtration of beverage products are reviewed and discussed. This paper may help researchers develop the use of electrospun nanofibres in agriculture and food science to address some serious problems such as the intensive use of pesticides. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using plant extracts.

Because of the widespread use of metallic nanoparticles in biology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine, biosynthesis methods are being considered to prepare these nanoparticles. Among biosynthesis methods mentioned in the literature, the use of plant extracts has gained great importance due to the fact that most of the plants are generally inexpensive, available, and nontoxic. Moreover, plant extracts are rich in different types of reducing and capping agents. Therefore, these methods have a high potential for scale-up and can produce nanoparticles in different morphologies. In this paper, different green methods used to prepare metallic nanoparticles and the types of characterization methods for their identification have been comprehensively explained. Since gold nanoparticles are considered more biocompatible than other metallic nanoparticles, research studies performed on green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using plant extracts and different applications of these nanoparticles have been reviewed and discussed.

A rapid biosynthesis route for the preparation of gold nanoparticles by aqueous extract of cypress leaves at room temperature.

In the present study, green synthesis of gold nanoparticles was reported using the aqueous extract of cypress leaves. The reduction of gold salt with the extract of cypress leaves resulted in the formation of gold nanoparticles. Effects of extract concentration and extract pH were investigated on the size of the nanoparticles. It was found that the average particle size of synthesized gold nanoparticles depends strongly on extract concentration and extract pH. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that bioorganic capping molecules were bound to the surface of particles. X-ray techniques confirmed the formation of gold nanoparticles and their crystalline structure. The inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy analysis displayed that the reaction progress is higher than 90% at room temperature. Gold nanoparticles were mostly spherical in shape along with some irregular shapes. Cypress is an evergreen plant and its leaves are easily available in all four seasons. Also, the rate of the reaction was high and it was completed in only 10min. For these reasons, this method is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Thus, it can be used in the synthesis of gold nanoparticles instead of chemical methods and other biosynthesis approaches.

Rapid green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Rosa hybrida petal extract at room temperature.

This study reports a green method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of rose petals. The effects of gold salt concentration, extract concentration and extract quantity were investigated on nanoparticles synthesis. Gold nanoparticles were characterized with different techniques such as UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy experiments showed that these nanoparticles are formed with various shapes. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that gold nanoparticles were functionalized with biomolecules that have primary amine group (-NH2), carbonyl group, -OH groups and other stabilizing functional groups. X-ray diffraction pattern showed high purity and face centered cubic structure of gold nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering technique was used for particle size measurement, and it was found to be about 10nm. The rate of the reaction was high and it was completed within 5 min.