Sustainable Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Carboxymethyl Cellulose Biopolymer and Their UV-Visible Spectroscopic Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to use orange peels and rice husks as agricultural wastes to synthesize silver Ag nanoparticles NPs in an environmentally friendly and economical manner, using a reducing and capping agent, and to prepare a biopolymer from carboxymethyl cellulose CMC. Nanocomposites with different concentrations (6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36%) of silver nanofiller and hybrid polymer of CMC and polyethylene glycol PEG were prepared. Fourier transform infrared FTIR analysis show the main peaks of Ag NPs and CMC biopolymer, confirming their successful preparation. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed spherical, monodisperse nanoparticles. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy investigation revealed a prominent peak in the silver region, confirming the presence of Ag element. Ultraviolet–visible analysis demonstrated that the energy gap is reduced from 5.46ev for pure polymer CMC to 3.43ev at the  concentration of Ag NPs 36%, this reduction revealed  localized surface plasmon resonance LSPR effects, enabling the produced nanocomposite to absorb a broader spectrum of light and improve photocatalytic efficiency.