Pine cone-mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity against agricultural pathogens

The medicinal and physicochemical properties of nanoscale materials are strong functions of the particle size and the materials used in their synthesis. The nanoparticle shape also contributes significantly to their medicinal properties. Several shapes ranging from oval, spherical, rods, to teardrop structures may be obtained by chemical methods. Triangular and hexagonal nanoparticles have been synthesized by using a pine cone extract (PCE). Here, we report the discovery that PCE, when reacted with silver nitrate ions, yields a high percentage of thin, flat, single-crystalline nanohexagonal and nanotriangular silver nanoparticles. The nanohexagonal and nanotriangular nanoparticles appear to grow by a process involving rapid reduction with assembly at room temperature at a high pH. The nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, TEM, FTIR, and X-ray diffraction analyses. The anisotropy of the nanoparticle shape results in large near-infrared absorption by the particles. Highly anisotropic particles are applicable in various fields, including agriculture and medicine. The obtained silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) had significant antibacterial action on both Gram classes of bacteria associated with agriculture. Because the Ag NPs are encapsulated with functional group-rich PCE, they can be easily integrated in various applications.