| Abstract |
Green nanotechnology has emerged as an environmentally benign safe alternative for the synthesis and applications of metal oxide nanoparticles. Because of their unique features like magnetic nature, photocatalytic efficiency, antimicrobial action, etc. Iron oxide nanoparticles have gotten attention in recent years. Even though various traditional chemical and physical synthetic methods are there, the green approach is renewable, environmentally benign, cost-effective, and sustainable. Plants and microorganisms are the biomaterials for renewable synthesis. In this review, the biological synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles using plants, bacteria, algae, and fungi has been discussed. These plant phytochemicals and biomolecules secreted by microorganisms act as both reducing and stabilizing agents to make stable functionalized nanomaterials. These naturally existing chemical compounds have been successfully explored in the reduction of metal ion precursors and for the capping of the surface of nanomaterials with bioactive functional groups. Iron oxide nanoparticles can be prepared in various shapes like spherical, cylindrical, octahedral, cubic, hexagonal rods, elliptical, etc. With desired sizes in the 1-100 nm range. The reaction parameters such as temperature, time, pH, and concentration can be optimized to manipulate the yield and morphology of iron nanomaterials. Hydrothermal and some mixing techniques can be employed for the biological synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles. Proper characterization of synthesized nanomaterials leads to suitable applications. Several spectroscopic and microscopic techniques such as UV-visible, FT-IR, HR-TEM, EDX, XRD, etc. Can be efficiently utilized to interpret the properties. Biosynthesized functionalized magnetic iron nanomaterials have been employed in various sectors of industries such as bio-medical, food, agriculture, construction, electronics, etc. Sustainable synthesis of iron nanomaterials, characterization techniques, applications in various fields, and their environmental effects have been discussed in this review article.
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