Applied Nanoscience

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-020-01318-w

REVIEW ARTICLE

Silver nanoparticles: various methods of synthesis, size affecting

factors and their potential applications–a review
Asim Ali Yaqoob1 · Khalid Umar1 · Mohamad Nasir Mohamad Ibrahim1

Received: 20 June 2019 / Accepted: 22 February 2020

© King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020

Abstract
Currently, synthesis of nanoparticles from several noble metals like palladium, tin, copper, silver and gold etc. has received
more attention because of their unique properties as well as their application in different fields. Furthermore, silver nano-
particles play an important role in pharmaceutical industries because they function like antibacterial agents which carry less
toxic effects. In case of industrial applications, silver particles (inkjet inks) having regular dispersions are helpful in making
different electronic circuits. Over the period, various synthetic methods for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles were reported
i.e. physical, chemical, and photochemical. However, most of the available techniques are expensive and not eco-friendly i.e.
environmentally harmful. There are various factors such as the methods of synthesis, temperature, dispersing agent, surfactant
etc. which greatly influence the quality and quantity of the synthesized nanoparticles and ultimately affect their properties. It
is also pertinent to mention here that the main target for these silver nanoparticles was not only to synthesize in nano range,
but also require easy, eco-friendly and economical synthesis of the nanoparticles. Therefore, this review mainly goes through
the several methods of synthesis of nanoparticles which should be based on the green approach, and easy to be synthesized
at low cost. In addition, we also discussed some approaches to fabricate silver-based nanoparticles, their enhanced proper-
ties and their different type of applications such as electrical conductivity, antibacterial, optical, photocatalytic properties.

Keywords Silver nanoparticles · Nanomaterials · Various synthesis approaches · Size affecting factors · Potential
applications

Introduction
Nanoscience is the study of enormously small things and it
is interdisciplinary in nature, such as, in the area of chemi-
cal, biological, engineering, biotechnology and material sci-
ences. Nanomaterial generally has wide surface area to the
volume ratio than bulk material which assists in catalysis
(Ge et al. 2008; Yaqoob et al. 2020; Shin et al. 2008; Xian
et al. 2013; Torchinsky et al. 2010) and medicine (Hamouda
2012; Albrecht et al. 2005; Rai and Yadav 2008; Piao et al.
2011; Chen 2008; Boddu et al. 2011). The nanomaterials
were used widely in several areas like photonics and phoyo-
catalysis to degrade various pollutants under UV light (Dar
* Khalid Umar
khalidumar4@gmail.com
* Mohamad Nasir Mohamad Ibrahim
mnm@usm.my
1
School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
et al. 2011; Umar et al. 2012, 2013; Reddy et al. 2015; Faisal
et al. 2011; Mir et al. 2013; Sultana et al. 2015) and vis-
ible light (Umar et al. 2015, 2016, 2019; Malik et al. 2014).
Among the metals like Pd, Cu, Au, Zn, Sn, Ag, and Co, the
silver nanowires/nanoparticles are considered due to their
significant electrical conductivity and localized surface
plasmon resonance properties. Silver nanowires/particles
normally range between 1and 100 nm in size. In this mod-
ern era, it is a very attractive field due to its remarkable
properties i.e. optical, thermal conductivity and electrical
properties (Radzuan et al. 2017; Hu et al. 2004; Khanna
et al. 2008; Marambio-Jones et al. 2010) and these properties
show the vital role of namomaterials in the industrial appli-
cations of photonics, microelectronics, and catalysis. Cur-
rently, there is a rising demand for print electronic circuits
(both width & thickness) due to the space present between
the circuits (Hoeng et al. 2016; Darr et al. 2017; Sondi
et al. 2003). Therefore, synthesis of silver wires or parti-
cles becomes important for electronic industries. There are
several approaches and techniques reported for preparation

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of wires and particles by different routes such as biological,
photochemical, physical and chemical (Dolgaev et al. 2002a,
b; Lahav et al. 2000; Xu et al. 2019; Hecht et al. 2006; Xu
et al. 2019; Premaratne et al. 2012; Nie et al. 2015; Das et al.
2011; Nazme et al. 2013). Each method or route has different
type of advantages and issues like particle size, cost, parti-
cle distribution ratio and scalability (El-Nour et al. 2010;
Smetana et al. 2005; Wakuda et al. 2008; Lee et al. 2005;
Anna et al. 2009). For example, physical and photochemical
techniques generally require temperature settings, expensive
instrumentation, and vacuum conditions to synthesize nano-
particles/wires (Iravani et al. 2014; Kholoud et al. 2010a, b).
Among all the methods and techniques reported, chemical
methods are extensively used for the improved production
of AgNWs/NPs. The chemical method is a well-known and
very common method to produce a highly pure, well-defined
product and it is very easy to operate (Toisawa et al. 2010).
Moreover, it provides a significant chance to produce the
material in solution due to mild conditions. In the chemical
method, production of AgNWs/NPs with colloidal distribu-
tions in an organic solvent/water is carried out with the help
of chemical reduction. Silver (Ag) ion precedes the reduc-
tion in any organic solvent to produce nanowires/particles
having varying width ranges. The emerging application of
AgNWs or AgNPs is in electronic industries. For example,
in case of inks, pastes and filler consume the nanomaterial
(wires/particles) because of its improved electrical conduc-
tivity and the photonic devices, and molecular diagnostics
gain huge advantages due to its optical properties (Ismail
et al. 2017; Dalzon et al. 2019; Tsuruga et al. 2008). In the
production of the electronic circuit, sintering is required to
eliminate dispersing agents to produce high ranked electrical
conductivity. In industrial and commercial concepts, they
require a modest and low cost process to synthesize huge
amount of silver nanoparticles. So, it is advisable to use sin-
tering at low temperature for better results (Lee et al. 2005;
Yuan et al. 2019; Jana et al. 1999). In this review article, we
will describe the different processes to synthesize AgNWs/
AgNPs and their remarkable properties and applications.
Basically, we label various significant ways that were stud-
ied recently and also reveal some information about the
Table 1  Different nanosystems Nanosystems Size (nm)
with their potential properties,
morphology and applications Polymeric nanoparticles 10–1000
Carbon nanotubes 0.5–3 diameter and Electrical properties
20–1000 length Allotropic crystalline form
Metallic nanoparticles < 100
Dendrimers < 10
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Applied Nanoscience
mechanism and factors affecting the size of AgNWs/NPs.
The main effort is to address the synthesis of silver colloidal
nanoparticles which are cost effective, having good electrical
conductivity, and are ecological friendly.
Classification of nanoparticles
Nanoparticles are broadly classified into three different cat-
egories as follows (also shown in Table 1):
a. OD Nanoparticles: zero-dimensional materials measured
within the nano range in all dimensions such as some
cluster, nanoshell etc.
b. 1D nanoparticles: one-dimensional system, the sizes
are between 1 and 100 nm and have a single layer,
used in various fields like solar cells, it contributes to
many technical applications like natural sensor, storing
devices, and fiber-optic systems
c. 2D nanoparticles: e.g. carbon nanotubes
d. 3D nanoparticles: e.g. dendrimers, C60 fullerenes, and
quantum dots etc.
Various approaches for the synthesis of AgNWs/NPs
Photochemical approach
Huang and Yang both produced AgNPs through photo-
reduction of silver nitrate layers which was based on inert
soil suspensions that act as stabilizing oxidants which inhibit
the aggregation of particles. The irradiation split of AgNPs,
with distribution ratio, was carried out until an absolute
diameter and constant size distribution ratio were achieved
(Huang et al. 2008). However, there were some requirements
like high-cost equipment and experimental environment.
Biological approach
Biosynthetic approach using reducing agents like biologi-
cal microorganism, polysaccharides, plants extracts, bacteria
Properties Applications
Biocompatible Drug carrier
Biodegradable
Enhanced solubility
Act as gene carrier
Act as peptide carrier
Small size Drug and genes delivery
Stability Radiotherapy treatment
Highly branched Monodis- Long circulatory
persity characters Control delivery of bioactive
Applied Nanoscience

or fungus is also known as green chemistry (Irshad et al.
2019; Guimarães et al. 2019; Maria et al. 2015; Bose et al.
2016; Shanmugam et al. 2014). Bacteria are well-known
to produce inorganic constituents both intra and extracel-
lularly. So, they act as more potential bio-factories for the
synthesis of the nanoparticles e.g. gold, copper, silver etc.
(Yaqoob et al. 2019). Mostly, silver nanoparticle synthesis
is one of the recognized particles with biotic characteristics.
Vilchis-Nestor et al. (2008) used Camellia sinensis abstract
as a stabilizing and reducing agent to synthesize Ag/Au
nanoparticles from an aqueous medium solution at ambient
conditions. However, Kalishwaralal et al. (2008) also stated
that production of AgNPs through the reduction of its ions
with the supernatant of Bacillus licheniformis. Silver-based
nanoparticles are extremely stable and non-pathogenic bac-
terium were used in this method, so it has more advantages
than the other methods. This technique is a cost effective
and an environmentally stable approach. But it is difficult to
produce nanoparticles/wires at a large scale with the help of
a biological approach.
Physical approach
In this approach, metal nanoparticles/wires usually pre-
pared by vaporization or condensation process, which
might be possible by maintaining the furnace tube at
atmospheric pressure. The substances within a fixed ves-
sel were evaporated into the carrier gas in the furnace. The
nanosized particles of various materials i.e. Cu, Ag, Zn, Sn
and Pb, fullerene were synthesized by vaporization & con-
densation methods (Locano et al. 2019; Kruis et al. 2000;
Magnusson et al. 1999). Therefore, generation of nano-
material through the furnace has numerous disadvantages
because a cylinder-shaped particle occupies a huge space,
consumes a huge amount of energy, increases the heat of
environment and it needs a long period to attain thermal
constancy. A distinctive cylinder-based furnace requires an
energy consumption of many kilowatts, a heating period of
10 min to make a stable temperature. Furthermore, AgNPs
have been produced with the help of laser ablation of the
bulk materials in a solution (Mafune et al. 2000; Dolgaev
et al. 2002a, b; Sylvestre et al. 2004). The benefit of laser
method as compared to the other methods is that there is
no chemical reagent in solution and pure colloids can be
synthesized and it will be more useful in many applica-
tions (Tsuji et al. 2002). Generally, physical preparation
of AgNPs utilizes the physical energy to yield AgNPs with
fine size circulation. This kind of approach can allow fab-
rication of high amount of product in one process and effi-
ciently yield AgNPs in ash form.
Chemical approach
Among all approaches, chemical method is found to be effi-
cient, convenient and easy to handle. This method is very
commonly used for production of AgNWs/AgNPs by chemi-
cal reduction and it can be possible at a very minimal cost
with high productivity and chemical approaches of AgNPs in
true solution frequently follow three stages: (1) metal-based
precursors, (2) capping oxidants (3) reducing agents. Fur-
thermore, the control of growth of metal-based nanoparticles
is essential to get smaller size nanoparticles having spherical
shape and diameter and this is made possible using capping
agents in this approach. The silver natured salt reduction
has dual phases of growth and nucleation in the preparation
of colloidal solution and morphology of nanoparticles rely
on these two steps. However, production of single dispersed
nanoparticles having regular size are based on the formation
of with same size and growth rate. The consequent develop-
ment of primary nuclei may be measured by regulating the
reaction using different limits like precursors, pH, tempera-
ture, reducing substance and capping material (PVP) (Chen
et al. 2012; Dang et al. 2012; Patil et al. 2012). Table 2 illus-
trates the different approaches with their methods and their
effective properties.

Table 2  Different approaches with their methods, potential properties and requirements
Synthetic approaches Methods Properties Requirements

Photochemical approach Photo reduction
Biological approach Plant mediated method fungi &
bacteria mediated method, algae
mediates method
Physical approach Ball milling method, laser ablation
method, chemical etching method
Chemical approach Son chemical method chemical
reduction electrochemical method
Absolute diameter, constant size,
average distribution ratio obtained,
highly advanced instruments
Low cost, environmentally stable,
complex in operation
Fabricate high quantity in one
process, pure colloids solution
produced
Efficient simple to operate low cost
method spherical shape particle
obtained
Long time duration expensive equip-
ment experimental environment
Reducing agents. Non-pathogenic
bacterium, fungi, algae
Atmospheric pressure huge amount
of energy advanced expensive instru-
ment
Capping agents reducing agent metal
precursors

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Different approaches to control the size of AgNPs/
NWs
Intrinsic characteristics are generally measured by shape,
size, and crystal structure of particles or wires as these
properties are responsible for making these nanoparticles
distinct from the others. Many approaches were reported
for the synthesis of AgNPs/NWs such as photochemical,
chemical, biological and physical methods. But among all
these, chemical methods are much easier to use and achieve
the goal. Generally, capping agents and reducing agents were
used in chemical methods and affect the size and distribution
ratio of particles. The two major steps of growth and nuclea-
tion occurred during the preparation of colloidal solutions
(Tran et al. 2013). Radziuk et al. (2007) reported the reduc-
tion of A­ gNO3 in an aqueous medium in the presence of
sodium borohydride to prepare AgNPs and the diameters of
the nanoparticles were in the nano range. Another Luo et al.
(2005) reported that production method of AgNPs under
insignificant environment by manipulating polyethylene gly-
col (PEG), and its intense influence on growth of AgNPs.
PEG is sensitive to molecular weight and it can act as a
reducing agent. Hsu et al. (2007) used chemical reduction
method to produce silver particle suspensions using silver
nitrate with a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) stabilizer and for-
maldehyde reductant. This process was occurring at very
high temperature and AgNP separation was difficult because
there were some other components present in mixture. The
mono-dispersed AgNPs were produced by consuming mod-
est oleylamine-liquid paraffin (Chen et al. 2007). They also
reported that AgNP production could be classified into major
phases: growing phase, incubation phase, Ostwald matur-
ing phase. The main aim is to develop synthetic methods
which use paraffin as solvent substance instead of others
like dichlorobenzene, toluene etc. Generally, three chemi-
cals were used throughout the reaction that is oleylamine,
silver nitrate, liquid paraffin. However, these types of reac-
tions may include many difficulties such as requirement of a
high volume of solvent & expensive reagents; and reduction
Fig. 1  Classification (a) 0D clusters & spheres (b) 1D nanofibers, nanowires/rods; (c) 2D structures; (d) 3D nanomaterials. [Singh et al. 2017]
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Applied Nanoscience
processes need moderately high temperature; complete sepa-
ration of the silver particles is very hard because the reaction
contains many other compounds. A green method is a good
option for solvent medium (water), an ecologically favorable
reducing material and not containing a toxic substance to
stabilize the nanoparticles.
Synthetic process of AgNPs (aqueous polymer)
The uniform, stable and highly purified AgNPs can be pro-
duced using a dispersant i.e. PVP (Polyvinyl pyrrolidone).
The Silver NPs were prepared by these steps as follows: (1)
dissolving the PVP by stirring with deionized water at room
temperature. (2) Adding ­AgNO3 into solution and again stir-
ring it further. (3) Adding sodium citrate solution dropwise
into deionized water. (4) After adding sodium citrate solu-
tion and DMAE solution, the mixture is stirred for 1 hr at
room temperature. (5) The centrifugation process is efficient
to detach the silver particles then are cleaned many times
using distilled water and then again dispersed. This process
has many significant advantages: (i) less reaction time, (ii)
small, uniform particles are produced, (iii) organic solvent
is not in use, (iv) diameter of particles is less than 10 nm,
(v) reaction take place at room temperature (iv) highly pure
nanoparticles are produced (Natsuki et al. 2015). Moreover,
we will be able to produce highly pure, uniform and highly
stable nanoparticles using PVP as dispersant agent because
dispersant avoids collection of pure silver nanorange parti-
cles. So, it is very helpful for industrial manufactures Fig. 1.
Synthesis of AgNPs using dispersing agents (low molecular
weight)
Generally, sodium gluconate/DL-malic acid disodium salt
act as dispersant material. In this process, PVP was not
used because sodium gluconate has less molecular weight
and is soluble in water so particles can easily get separated
from solution. However, there is no abundant impact on size
of silver particle with the dispersing agents. The sodium
Applied Nanoscience
gluconate can be helpful to decrease the sintering tempera-
ture if it is used as a dispersant. The sintering temperature
is almost 150 °C in this method and sintered at 200 °C for
preparation of nanoparticles using polymer (Natsuki et al.
2013). The significant role of dispersing substance on size
of the particles is shown in Table 3.
Synthesis of AgNWs by polyol reduction method
Polyol method is a very strong approach for the prepara-
tion of known well-defined metal NPs and NWs in terms
of shape, size, crystallinity, and its compositional ratio.
The polyol method was used for effective production of
metal powders of Ag Co, Zn, Cu and Ni particles. First,
mixing of metal salts in ethylene glycol (EG) at various
ratios occurred. So, polyol reduction method is a chemi-
cal approach to obtain AgNWs. In this process, ethylene
glycol was stirred for one hour at 160 °C and true solution
of 0.1 M ­AgNO3 and 0.1 M solution of PVP were injected
into a preheated solution of EG. The injection process was
very slow. During injection, the temperature decreased to
140 °C and solution was colorless but after injection the
color changed to bright yellow. Then the solution was again
heated and maintained at a temperature of 160 °C to stabi-
lize the reaction. After that, reaction mixture appeared to be
bright yellow to milky in color and afterward it changed into
grey color and AgNWs were produced and then washed with
ethanol which serves as the dispersing agent. The achieved
wires were highly uniform and had a well-defined size and
shape. Similarly, the general route of the polyol reduction
method is shown in Fig. 2.
Characterization
There were different parameters reported for characteriza-
tion of the AgNPs and NWs to know its important appli-
cations and its growth factors. Generally, TEM and SEM
were helpful to elaborate on the complete morphology of
wires and particles. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS) is linked by the SEM instrument to work more effi-
ciently in determining the elemental analysis. The FT-IR,
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy,
X-ray diffractometry (XRD) are very commonly used to
Table 3  Significant role of dispersing substances on particle size
Silver nanorange Dispersing substance Size (nm)
particles/NWs
AgNPs PVP 5–40
AgNPs Sodium gluconate 4–10
AgNWs Ethanol 60–100
Fig. 2  General schematic route of polyol reduction method (Junaidi
et al. 2016)
analyze and confirm the AgNP/NW production. However,
XRD is very helpful to measure the crystallinity feature
and volume resistivity is determined through the Loresta-
GP MCP-T610 resistivity meter to calculate its electrical
conductivity. The UV–Vis result of the prepared nano-
particles indicates optical absorption peak because the
surface plasmon resonance is efficiently detected (Chou
et al. 2004). In EDS exploration, the concentrated peak
near 3 keV is distinctive of the AgNPs. The lesser quanti-
ties of another compounds like O and C comes from the
reagents which were used and are not present due to water
solubility factor. The technique XPS is used to determine
the AgNP/NW elemental composition.
Different factors affecting the size of silver
nanoparticles
The various factors affecting the AgNP/NW sizes were
also examined. Several reports have stated that reducing
agent, dispersants, their amounts and different kinds of
amine affect the size of the particles. Furthermore, the
generally influences of temperature on size, was also stud-
ied. Figure 3 shows general review of the affecting factors.
Sintering
tempera-
ture
200 °C
150 °C
160 °C
Fig. 3  General overview, factors affecting the size of nanoparticles
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Influence of surfactant
Polyvinylpyrrolidone is a good surfactant used for the syn-
thesis of AgNPs. The PVP is generally used as the disper-
sant compound and it can restrict the nanoparticle growth
to make the nanoparticles as balanced colloids, which are
very valuable for engineering applications. PVP has a great
impact on silver nanoparticle scope. When a small quantity
of PVP is used, agglomerations occur, and then as a result,
the partial covering of particles with PVP occurs. A balance
in the proportion of PVP and ­AgNO3 must be used to get
lesser sized silver particles. So, in this situation, whole sur-
face is layered by PVP. Therefore, the accumulation is barred
by PVP and on observance the nano silver particles appeared
detached. But when a high quantity of PVP was added then,
as a result, metal nanoparticles size increased. So, it shows
that high amount of PVP can never reduce colloidal particle
size. The high amount cannot has no advantage as it may
be bad for production of particles. FT-IR spectra illustrate
silver nanoparticles with oxygen or nitrogen in PVP, produc-
ing a shield on metal particle surface. So, a layer can stop it
from agglomerating, and subsequently yield sphere-shaped
particles. The general mechanism of using sodium gluco-
nate ­(C5H11O5COONa) as a dispersing element is verified by
FT-IR instrument. In this condition, ­C5H11O5COO creating a
shield on shallow surface of metal nano units is verified. The
coating can prevent AgNPs from agglomerating and make
slight spherical shaped particles.
Influence of temperature
The technique TEM shows formation of larger particles of
silver and morphology of nanoparticles is not in spherical
form if reaction was carried out at low temperature. These
outcomes may be because the coordination between the sur-
faces of the nanoparticles of silver is covered using reagents
or capping agents or stabilizing agents. Therefore, it shows
that reaction rate is improved subsequent to the produc-
tion of large nanoparticles and due to an unwanted reac-
tion whenever temperature of the reaction is very high. On
the other hand, when the temperature was low, the rate of
reaction was not high and after 3 h the color of the solution
began to change (Natsuki and Abe 2016).
Effect of dispersing agent (low molecular weight)
The morphology of particles was determined by TEM and
another effective method like Zetasizer Nano Series (Mal-
vern Instruments). The circulation varieties of Ag nanopar-
ticles produced using aqueous polymer are between 7 and
40 nm. Although very rarely larger particles present, 99.2%
of particles have a diameter less than 10 nm. This shows
that the AgNPs produced using aqueous polymer have a
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narrow range of diameters and the normal diameter is around
10 nm (Bosetti et al. 2002). The other nanosilver particles
synthesized using low molecular weight dispersing agent
have reduced size and slighter type distribution than aqueous
polymer-based AgNPs.
Applications of silver nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles are the most interesting materials for
industrial applications as shown in Fig. 4. They are play
an extensive role in electronic products in the electronics
industries, also act as antibacterial agents, are used in textile
coatings, food storage, and many features show their poten-
tial in environmental applications.
AgNPs serve as antibacterial agents and are commonly
used for various applications ranging from home appliances
to treatment of water and sterilizing medical devices (Jain
et al. 2005; Li et al. 2008; Cho et al. 2005). Furthermore,
they are very helpful in textile industries to manufacture
several types of fabrics. So, in this route Ag nanocomposite
fiber was produced which has nanoparticles inside manu-
factured fabrics.
Another application i.e. cottons filaments holding AgNPs
showed antibacterial action against the bacteria Escheri-
chia coli (Yeo et al. 2013; Duran et al. 2007). The highly
verified silver nanoparticles were used to catalyze chemi-
luminescence in luminol–hydrogen peroxide reaction with
an enhanced catalytic role than the other particles like Pt,
Zn, and Au (Guo et al. 2008). Moreover, inkjet technology
was used for the production of electronic circuits at a very
cheap cost and there were more applications reported regard-
ing this attractive technology. To make flexible electronic
device display through inkjet technology, it is very essential
to develop efficient inks to be used in it. Nano metal parti-
cles like Ag, Cu, Zn, Au are very useful for the fabrication
purpose of electronic circuits because nanosized metal par-
ticles can be isolated from the inks and they also to improve
the electrical conductivity The uniform shaped AgNPs have
the ability to show greater electrical conductivity and that
Fig. 4  Some industrial uses of Ag nanoparticles
Applied Nanoscience
means it is helpful to make electronic stuffs. So, it must be
sintered to gain better electrical conductivity which is pos-
sible at low temperature. The high temperature is needed
for sintering when any polymer serves as a dispersing agent
Therefore, AgNP electrochemical characters were fused in
sensor devices that can provide quick reaction times and low
detection parameters. In case of AgNPs onto alumina plates
(Manno et al. 2008), Au nano-patterned electrode indicated
a very high sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide (Kholoud et al.
2010a, b). The catalytic nature of nanoparticles is different
from the different chemical activities of the substance mate-
rials. For example, Ag nanoparticles strongly enhanced the
activity of organic dyes with the help of potassium peroxo-
disulphate application at room temperature in an aqueous
medium (Singhal et al. 2007).
Worldwide consumption of nanoparticles
The consumption of nanoparticles at a global level is
expected to rise owing to their increasing manufactur-
ing demand. It may be used on an industrial scale such in
textiles, electronics, and for health care use. However the
modern literature state that nanoparticles can be produced
at a temperature 25 °C by biological, physical and chemical
ways. Figure 5 illustrates the consumption of NPs at several
places as described by Grand View Research, Inc (Olteanu
et al. 2017).
It is observable that health is a major buyer of all. So,
healthcare displays a rising movement than the other appli-
cations. The growing need for antiseptic medicines and also
antifungal material depend upon the growth of nanoparti-
cles. Infect, nanomaterial is very active against germs of
bacteria and also against the fungal and microbial agents
(Nair et al. 2015; Vazquez-Rodriguez et al. 2018; Bushra
et al. 2014; Saleh et al. 2016). The increasing need for nano-
material in the fields of electrical & electronics industries
are expected to get substantial evolution until 2022. The high
Fig. 5  Global consumption of
nanoparticles per year
demand for different products with good accuracy, improved
processing system, high constancy, and greater conductiv-
ity is due to evolution of nanoparticles. For textile indus-
tries, the demand is high because extended applications are
introduced in the market. Furthermore, their development
in foodstuff and soft drink industries is mostly due to more
demand for food stuff storage and treatment so that the food
can remain cool and can be kept hygienic for a longer time.
The above-mentioned trend of global consumption shows
that NPs exist broadly in various fields.
Future challenges
Synthesis of different NPs is done by different techniques
like chemical, physical and photochemical methods. Among
all, synthesis of silver nanoparticles by a green method is
more attractive because the process is simple, cost effective,
easy to operate and time-saving. The production methods
generally use bacteria and fungus, and other creatures since
and they include growth, isolation of strains, which demand
some complex steps. Commonly, this type of procedure is
a challenge in relation to retaining the standard culture as
compared to the chemical & physical conditions. Synthetic
methods of synthesis of different NPs using seeds, leaves,
roots, and some fruits are well recognized. Availability of
roots and seeds is little difficult as they may be associated
with grasses and some fruits. For nanoparticle formation,
biological production uses different greenery for produc-
ing the significant spherical shape. The characteristics of
nanoparticles are remarkably reliant on complete morphol-
ogy. For example, production of AgNPs in different forms,
production using Prunus yedoensis, Azadirachta indica,
Musa balbisiana, Bauhinia variegate, Ocimum tenuiflorum
etc. (Velmurugan et al. 2015; Banerjee et al. 2014; Jolanta
et al. 2016). So, future tasks in green production process lies
in how this method can be applied uniformly to obtain the
other forms like truncated, decahedral, pyramidal shapes,
13

cubical and triangular. Moreover, still there is a need to find
out the best approach by which the efficiency regarding the
product yield becomes high so that the biological approach
can work at a larger scale.
Conclusion
In this review article, different approaches are discussed
here for the synthesis of AgNPs, their characteristics and
effective uses in different zone are presented. Specifically,
several innovative chemical techniques are described that
are very successful methods to prepare pure AgNPs having
greater electrical conductivity. Among them, the chemical
method is efficient but biological approach was found to be
more effective because it is relatively environmental friendly
and economical. Therefore, this kind of approach can save
strength and reduce the expense of producing AgNPs. The
mechanism for the synthesis and factors affecting the nano
size (AgNPs) are also explained. The poly vinyl pyrrolidone
was found to be best capping agent for controlling the size
within the nano range. The other factors such as temperature,
dispersing agent, surfactant etc. also greatly influenced the
quality and quantity of the synthesized nanoparticles. These
systems are secure and global friendly and are significant
factors for manufacturing purposes. These Ag nanoparticles
are also found to be very useful in various applications such
biosensor application, textile, food and agricultural indus-
tries, electronics, environmental safety and medical applica-
tions due to their various potential properties. Hence, these
types of benefits make them very useful to be produced at
large scale which are appropriate in several areas, like bio-
logical, environmental applications and fabrication of elec-
tronic stuffs.
Acknowledgements This research article was supported financially by
Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang Malaysia under the Research
University Grant; 1001/ PKIMIA/8011070). The author (Khalid Umar)
gratefully acknowledged the post-doctoral financial support (USM/
PPSK/FPD(BW)2/(2019).
Compliance with ethical standards
Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts
of interest.
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