New Insights on Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles Using Plants Emphasizing the Use of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Table 3

In vivo synthesis of different nanoparticles using Medicago sativa L. and other plants.

Nr.	Plants	Nanoparticle	Shape	Nanoparticle size (nm)	Precursor solution	Characterization techniques	Additional catalyst(s) or control variables	Applications of NPs	Conclusion	Reference
1	Medicago sativa L.	Au	Icosahedral	2–20	HAuCl4	XAS, TEM, EDS	Nutrient solution with agar-agar, 1 g/200 Au, 5.8 pH, 12 h photoperiod, 25/18°C day/night	—	Synthesis of AuNPs in living plants was confirmed	Gardea-Torresdey et al. [79]
2	Medicago sativa L.	Ag	Nanocrystalline	2–35	AgNO3	SSRL, XANES, EXAFS, SEM, EDS, STEM, HAADF	Medium with chloride salts, AgNO3 concentrations (0, 40, 80, 160, 320 mg/l), pH 5.8, 12 h light/12 h dark photoperiod at 25 and 18°C	—	Synthesis of Ag NPs in living plants was confirmed	Gardea-Torresdey et al. [80]
3	Medicago sativa L.; Brassica juncea, (L.) Czern.	Ag	Multiple shapes	∼50	1,000 ppm AgNO3	TEM, EDX, PIXE, AAS	Concentration of Ag nitrate (500, 1,000, 2,500, and 10,000 ppm); The exposure times (24, 48, 72 h)	—	Synthesis of Ag NPs in living plants was confirmed	Harris and Bali [81]
4	Medicago sativa L.; Brassica juncea. (L.) Czern; Festuca rubra L.	Ag	Multiple shapes	Multiple sizes	AgNO3	TEM, TEM X-ray, ICP-OES	Hoagland’s solution, replaced every 7 days, a cycle of 30 days, fluorescence lamps with a 16:8-h (light/dark) photoperiod, 22°C ± 2°C.	Plant metabolism parameters	Synthesis of Ag NPs in living plants was confirmed	Marchiol et al. [82]
5	Medicago sativa L. Three types of Iranian alfalfa plants (Nikshahri, Hamedani, and Yazdi)	Au	Crystalline	Multiple sizes	HAuCl4	UV-Vis, SEM, XRD	MS medium (25 ± 2°C 16 h, fluorescent light)	—	Synthesis of AuNPs in living plants was confirmed	Keshavarzi et al. [83]
6	Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.	Au, Ag, Cu	Multiple shapes	5–50	HAuCl4, AgNO3, CuCl	AAS, TEM, STEM, EDX, HAADF	Metal rich soil was produced, after 9 weeks of growth, biomass was harvested	—	Synthesis of Au, Ag, and Cu NPs in living plants was confirmed	Haverkamp et al. [84]
7	Sesbania drummondii (Rydb.) Cory	Au	6–20	Spherical	HAuCl4	TEM, XANES, EXAFS	Sterile agar-water medium seedlings were grown at 25 ± 2°C; 16 h light and 8 h dark regime of cool fluorescent light for 6 d	—	Synthesis of AuNPs in living plants was confirmed	Sharma et al. [85]
8	Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.	Ag	2–35	Multiple shapes	AgNO3, Na3Ag (S2O3)2 Ag (NH3)2 NO3	XANES, AAS, TEM	100 mL pots, standard Hoagland solution (pH = 5.5), solution was replaced every 2-3 days. A high-pressure sodium lamp (600 W) on a 16 h light/8 h dark cycle for 5 weeks, growth in Ag solution for 2 days	—	Synthesis of Ag NPs in living plants was confirmed	Haverkam, Marshall [86]
9	Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.	Ag, Au	Spherical	2–100	AgNO3, Ag (NH3)2 NO3 or HAuCl4	TEM, XAS	Hoagland (pH 5.5 solution), replaced every 1-2 days, 16 h light/8 h dark cycle, growth in metal ion solution for 24 h	—	Au and Ag NPs were found in leaves, stems, and roots	Beattie, Haverkamp [87]