Exploring Mushroom Extracts as Green Reducing and Stabilizing Agents for Sustainable Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

Green synthesis of nanoparticles has emerged as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional chemical and physical methods that often involve toxic reagents and energy-intensive processes. In the present study biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extracts of dried mushrooms, leveraging naturally occurring bioactive compounds as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The mushroom-mediated synthesis provides a biogenic platform for the formation of stable, small-sized nanoparticles under mild conditions. The successful formation of AgNPs was initially confirmed through UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, with distinctive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks observed in the range of 420–450 nm. Further, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, and amine indicating their active participation in the reduction of silver ions and stabilization of nanoparticles. Morphological studies conducted via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) confirmed the production of spherical nanoparticles with a size distribution ranging from 1 to 2 nm. These findings suggest that mushroom extracts provide a versatile and efficient means of synthesizing AgNPs, with promising implications for biomedical and nanotechnological applications.