Greener fabrication of metal nanoparticles using plant materials: A review

The production of assorted metal nanoparticles based on greener synthesis approaches has garnered immense attention, which influences most humans and the environment. Metal nanoparticles are becoming increasingly useful in many areas of our everyday lives including the medical sciences. In this context, the deployment of advantageous greener methodology opens up new avenues for researchers to generate metal nanoparticles adhering to the green chemistry principles and exploiting the locally available and abundant resources rather than toxic chemicals. Various plant materials can be utilized to synthesize metal nanoparticles as they are easy to access, inexpensive, safe, good for the environment, and can be readily deployed for the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles of diverse sizes and shapes, as they incorporate unique properties of plant constituents in their assembly. This review article provides a comprehensive discussion on the different approaches to metal nanoparticles using renewable and sustainable plant materials as eco-friendly entities. Finally, the future outlook for the fabrication of metal nanoparticles by means of plant materials as a sustainable method has been discussed.