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Sugar-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Selenide Semiconductor Nanocrystals under Ultrasound Irradiation

Abstract:

Silver selenide (Ag<inf>2</inf> Se) is a promising nanomaterial due to its outstanding optoelectronic properties and countless bio-applications. To the best of our knowledge, we report, for the first time, a simple and easy method for the ultrasound-assisted synthesis of Ag<inf>2</inf> Se nanoparticles (NPs) by mixing aqueous solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO<inf>3</inf>) and selenous acid (H<inf>2</inf> SeO<inf>3</inf>) that act as Ag and Se sources, respectively, in the presence of dissolved fructose and starch that act as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. The concentrations of mono-and polysaccharides were screened to determine their effect on the size, shape and colloidal stability of the as-synthesized Ag<inf>2</inf> Se NPs which, in turn, impact the optical properties of these NPs. The morphology of the as-synthesized Ag<inf>2</inf> Se NPs was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and both α-and β-phases of Ag<inf>2</inf> Se were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical properties of Ag<inf>2</inf> Se were studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy and its elemental composition was determined non-destructively using scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). The biological activity of the Ag<inf>2</inf> Se NPs was assessed using cytotoxic and bactericidal approaches. Our findings pave the way to the cost-effective, fast and scalable production of valuable Ag<inf>2</inf> Se NPs that may be utilized in numerous fields.