Ultrarapid catalytic reduction of some dyes by reusable novel erythromycin-derived silver nanoparticles

A novel green approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using erythromycin as a reducing/capping agent is presented. Erythromycin-derived silver nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Monodispersed silver nanoparticles showed excellent and promising catalytic activity for reduction of 3 differently charged dyes (eosin B, methylene blue, and rose bengal) in the presence of NaBH4. The study revealed that 100% reduction of these dyes can be achieved efficiently in just 150–250 s. They were easily recovered from the reaction medium and were reused 5 times, showing enhanced catalytic potential each time. Glass-supported Ag(0) NPs (0.15 mg) were removed by washing sequentially and reused 5 times for catalytic reduction of these dyes at 10 µM. All dyes were successfully reduced by erythromycin-derived silver nanoparticles up to 7%. Based upon these results, it was concluded that erythromycin-derived silver nanoparticles are a novel, rapid, and highly economical alternative for environmental protection against pollution caused by dyes and can be extended for the control of other reducible contaminants.