Plant-mediated silver nanoparticles derived from Dioscorea hispida and evaluation of their antioxidant, antibacterial ability, and Hg2+ detection activities

In this study, silver nanoparticle (SNP) was fabricated using an eco-friendly and simple preparation approach. As a precursor, AgNO 3 was employed, and Dioscorea hispida leaf extract was used as a reductant and capping agent. The FT-IR spectrum revealed that the -OH functional group in the extract related to the phenolic compound, which plays a crucial role in nanoparticle formation. An UV-Vis spectrophotometer confirmed the development of SNP in the colloid medium by strongly indicating the surface plasmon resonance band at 398–410 nm. The face-centered cubic structure of SNP was found by X-ray diffraction research. TEM images of SNP revealed a spherical form with an average particle size of 18.45 ± 7.32 nm. The well diffusion method was used to assess SNP's antibacterial activity. The results revealed that prepared SNP had less significance in suppression growth zone against Gram-negative bacteria. In terms of antioxidant performance, the IC 50 value of SNP was estimated to be 53.16 ± 1.98 g/mL, suggesting that SNP presented good antioxidant performance using the DPPH assay. Furthermore, the synthesized AgNPs exhibited high linearity in Hg 2+ detection in aqueous solution at the range 0.8–10 ppm (R 2 = 0.9969) with the theoretical LOD value of 0.66 ppm. This work suggests a prospect of Dioscorea hispida leaf extracts-assisted silver nanoparticles for heavy metals sensor and biological application • SNP was synthesized using Dioscorea hispida leaf extracts. • Characterization was performed by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FT-IR, XRD, and TEM. • SNP showed excellent antioxidant activity with IC 50 value of 53.16 ± 1.98 µg/mL. • SNP has good sensitivity at Hg 2+ detection in aqueous media.