Clean production of powdery silver nanoparticles using Zingiber officinale: The structural and catalytic properties

There is an imperative need for clean and large-scale synthesis of metal nanoparticles due to their demand for widespread applications. Avoiding the use of a huge amount of solvents, costly/complicated production steps, and toxic reagents are the main goals to be achieved in developing large-scale synthesis method. In this work, clean, eco-friendly, inexpensive, and easy-to-operate solid state synthetic route is developed to prepare silver nanoparticles using Zingiber officinale (Ginger) powder. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy prove that Zingiber officinale powder possesses hydroxyl and carbonyl functionalities which make it possible for Ag+1 to be stabilized and reduced to Ag nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction shows the crystalline silver nanoparticles with the face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. The prepared silver nanoparticles have semi-spherical shape with size 11–24 nm. The as-prepared Zingiber officinale/silver nanoparticles display excellent catalytic activity in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol and methylene blue dye. A free-standing film of PVA and Zingiber officinale/silver nanoparticles is prepared as an effective method to recover and reuse the nanocatalyst for several cycles, and after reaction completion, the product was metal-free. [Display omitted] •Zingiber officinale powder effectively reduces Ag nanoparticles in solid state mixing.•The sustainability of plants enables the mass production of different nanoparticles.•The prepared nanoparticles efficiently catalyze the reduction of water pollutants.