Síntesis verde de nanopartículas de níquel mediante el método solvotermal usando el extracto activo de la alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Abstract

Metallic nanoparticles are chemical compounds that, due to their size, possess a unique set of properties with wide potential to revolutionize various areas of modern science and industry. These properties include their capabilities as antioxidants, antifungals, high chemical reactivity, high surface area, and biocompatibility, among others. This research presents a method and its respective parameters for carrying out the solvothermal synthesis of nickel nanoparticles, considering a green chemistry approach using alfalfa (Medicago sativa) extract as the reaction medium, reducing agent, and stabilizing agent in the synthesis process. The plant extract of alfalfa is a fundamental part of the proposed green synthesis, as its high content of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, are the key element in the reduction and stabilization of the synthesized particles. The objective of the study is to synthesize nickel nanoparticles using a plant extract under the parameters of a nanoparticle solvothermal synthesis. For this purpose, the respective characterization is carried out by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a result, nickel nanoparticles with a spherical morphology of 2 nm, 7 nm, and 11 nm were obtained using the proposed green synthesis method.