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Processes
Special Issues
Green Biotechnology for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts
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Green Biotechnology for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Separation Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2025) | Viewed by 1587

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Interests: nanomaterial; plant extract; green synthesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant extracts are excellent resources for the green synthesis of metal nanocomposites. Recently, many studies have showcased the synthesis and application of green precious metal nanomaterials. In particular, plant leaf extracts containing various phytochemicals are suitable for the synthesis of precious metal nanomaterials, and metal ions can be reduced to the corresponding metals using benign solvent water under hydrothermal conditions without any other chemicals. Precious metal nanoparticles—such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu), as well as other metals, such as platinum (Pt) and nickel (Ni)—with superior mechanical, magnetic, and antibacterial properties, can be prepared and applied in a variety of fields, such as in bioimaging and biomedicine. Plant extracts are also good candidates for the fabrication of metal-phytochemical nanocomposites.

This Special Issue, titled “Green Biotechnology for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts”, seeks high-quality research focusing on the functionalization of precious metal nanoparticles. Topics include the following:

  • Green synthesis and application of metal nanomaterials.
  • Construction of precious metal nanomaterials via plant extracts.
  • Multifunctional metal nanomaterial composites and their applications.

Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Au/Ag/Pt/Cu nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles
  • plant extract
  • green synthesis
  • nanoparticle applications

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2757 KB  
Article
Process Parameter Screening Through Fractional Factorial Design for the Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles
by Harshilkumar Jani, Ketan Ranch, Vijay R. Chidrawar, Popat Mohite and Sudarshan Singh
Processes 2025, 13(10), 3157; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103157 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 616
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) of noble metals such as gold have garnered significant attention due to their novel optical and catalytic properties, their theranostic properties, as they are biocompatible, and they attract considerable interest in a range of applications including targeted drug delivery. In this [...] Read more.
Nanoparticles (NPs) of noble metals such as gold have garnered significant attention due to their novel optical and catalytic properties, their theranostic properties, as they are biocompatible, and they attract considerable interest in a range of applications including targeted drug delivery. In this study, a fractional factorial design (FFD) is applied to systematically investigate the influence of key synthesis parameters (independent variables) at a low level (−1) and a high level (+1), including the reducing agent type (chitosan or trisodium citrate), concentration of reducing agent (10 to 40 mg), pH (3.5 to 8.5), temperature (60 to 100 °C), agitation time (5 to 15 min), and agitation speed (400 to 1200 rpm), on the dependent parameters—particle size and polydispersity index of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between these parameters and their interaction effect on the characteristics of gold nanoparticles. A fractional factorial design allowed for efficient screening of the parameter space while minimizing the number of experiments required. The results demonstrated that pH, reducing agent, reducing agent–concentration, reducing agent–concentration of reducing agent–pH, and reducing agent–temperature interactions played significant roles in determining the particle size of the synthesized GNPs. Moreover, pH and reducing agent–concentration were identified as the major factors influencing the dispersity of the NPs. This study sheds light on the complex relationships between synthesis parameters and NP characteristics, offering an insight into the capacity for optimizing the synthesis process in order to tailor the desired properties of GNPs. The findings contribute to the growing field of NP synthesis and advance the understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing the formation of GNPs with specific size and dispersity characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Biotechnology for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts)
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22 pages, 3151 KB  
Article
Comparative Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solution Using Plant-Derived and Industrial Zirconia Nanoparticles
by Guojie Weng, Weidong Li, Fengyue Qin, Menglu Dong, Shuangqi Yue, Jiechang Weng and Sajid Mehmood
Processes 2025, 13(9), 2794; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13092794 - 1 Sep 2025
Viewed by 609
Abstract
This study presents a plant-fabricated nanoparticle system of zirconia (ZrO2) using Sonchus asper plant extract, compared with conventionally synthesized ZrO2, for their efficacy in Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. The nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy [...] Read more.
This study presents a plant-fabricated nanoparticle system of zirconia (ZrO2) using Sonchus asper plant extract, compared with conventionally synthesized ZrO2, for their efficacy in Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. The nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental composition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The plant-fabricated ZrO2 exhibited mesoporosity and enhanced surface functionality, attributed to bioactive compounds from Sonchus asper, which improved adsorption performance via increased surface area and residual organic functional groups. Batch adsorption experiments showed that Cr(VI) removal was optimized at 100 mg/L Cr(VI), 300 mg/L adsorbent dosage, pH 5, and 30 min reaction time at 25 °C. Adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics models. According to Langmuir model fitting, the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) reached 142.24 mg/g for PF-ZrO2 NPs and 133.11 mg/g for conventional ZrO2 NPs, indicating the superior adsorption performance of the green-synthesized material. This work highlights the sustainable potential of plant-fabricated ZrO2 nanoparticles as cost-effective and environmentally friendly nano-adsorbents for heavy metal remediation, contributing to the achievement of UN SDG No. 6 by providing clean water solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Biotechnology for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles from Plant Extracts)
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