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The use of microorganisms for the formation of metal nanoparticles and their application

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Abstract

Nanomaterials are at the leading edge of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. The development of reliable experimental protocols for the synthesis of nanomaterials over a range of chemical compositions, sizes, and high monodispersity is one of the challenging issues in current nanotechnology. In the context of the current drive to develop green technologies in material synthesis, this aspect of nanotechnology is of considerable importance. Biological systems, masters of ambient condition chemistry, synthesize inorganic materials that are hierarchically organized from the nano- to the macroscale. Recent studies on the use of microorganisms in the synthesis of nanoparticles are a relatively new and exciting area of research with considerable potential for development. This review describes a brief overview of the current research worldwide on the use of microorganisms in the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles and their applications.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank S. Senapati, Dr. A. Ahmad, Dr. M.I. Khan, Dr. M. Sastry, and Dr. R. Kumar for their enthusiastic contributions to the experimental work and for their helpful discussions. We also thank Prof. A. Steinbuchel for supporting this review.

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Correspondence to Deendayal Mandal.

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Mandal, D., Bolander, M.E., Mukhopadhyay, D. et al. The use of microorganisms for the formation of metal nanoparticles and their application. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 69, 485–492 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-005-0179-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-005-0179-3

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