Biogenic synthesis of metallic nanoparticles by plant extracts

In recent years, nanobiotechnology has emerged as an elementary division of modern science and a noval epoch in the fields of material science and is receiving global attention due to its ample applications. Various physical, chemical, and biological methods have been employed to synthesize nanomaterials. Biological systems such as bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, viruses, and plants have been reported to synthesize various metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. Among these, biosynthesis of nanoparticles from plants seems to be a very effective method in developing a rapid, clean, nontoxic, and eco-friendly technology. The use of plant biomass or extracts for the biosynthesis of novel metal nanoparticles (silver, gold, platinum, and palladium) would be more significant if the nanoparticles are synthesized extracellularly and in a controlled manner according to their dispersity of shape and size. Owing to the rich biodiversity of plants, their potential use toward the synthesis of these nobel metal nanoparticles is yet to be explored. The aim of this review is to provide the recent trends involved in the phytosynthesis of nobel metal nanoparticles in the past decade.