Screening the variables in silver nanoparticle formation by Fusariumm oxysporum : Plackett_Burman unravels the mechanism of nanoparticle formation.

Plackett-Burman statistical design was applied to the synthesis of silver nanoparticle solutions by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Stirring rate, temperature of reaction , light intensity, , concentrating the medium and oxygen exclusion and protein denaturation by boiling the medium, filtering the blue region of the spectrum were the variables used in this screening analysis. During the course of each run of the experiments, several samples were taken from reaction and subjected to UV-vis spectroscopy. Rate of production of nanoparticles, as evidenced from the rate of increase in plasmon absorption, degree of agglomeration (as evidenced from the width of silver nanoparticles plasmon peak ) and spectrophotometric mean diameter of nanoparticles (as evidenced by the peak location of the UV-vis spectrum) was studied .A sample was also subjected to SEM, TEM and EDS analysis to ensure the presence of metallic silver nanoparticles. The relative importance of each of the variables in Plackett_Burman design was also determined .Furthermore, as evidenced from the blue shift of spectrum peak in the vigorously stirred experiments (half of the experiments), a size decrease in the formed nanoparticle is seen with the time.

Screening the variables in silver nanoparticle formation by Fusariumm oxysporum : Plackett_Burman unravels the mechanism of nanoparticle formation. Keywords:

Silver nanoparticle , Surface plasmon resonance , Fusarium oxysporum , Plackett-Burman