Effective Deagglomeration in Biosynthesized Nanoparticles: A Mini Review

Materials with nanoscale particle size have different properties from its bulk phase, which allows for wider application of the material. There are various methods to synthesize nanoparticles, namely physical, chemical, and biological method. Nowadays, nanoparticle synthesis method is focused on biological method because of its advantages, such as environmentally friendly, relatively simple procedures, and lower production costs. Biosynthesis by co-precipitation method using extracts from biological agents is considered the most efficient among other biological methods. Biochemical compound in the extract have a dual role in synthesis, they act as a reducing agent which reduces metal salt to metal ion, and as a capping agent which stabilizes the nanoparticle. Biosynthesis has been shown to result in nanoparticles as good as physical and chemical method. However, several studies report that the synthesized nanoparticles have low stability regardless of the presence of their capping agent, resulting in agglomeration of nanoparticles, which reduces its efficiency. Until now, studies on particle deagglomeration especially during nanoparticle biosynthesis have not been widely carried out. This mini review will explain the phenomenon of agglomeration during biosynthesis. Moreover, deagglomeration treatment using physical and chemical approaches will be examined. Each approach is considered to be able to deagglomerate nanoparticles well, and the combination of the two is projected to be able to provide better results. (paper)