Abstract
A simple and environmentally benign green method is reported to decorate growing fungal hyphae with high loading of gold nanoparticles, which were initially produced using aqueous tea extract as a sole reducing/stabilizing agent. Inoculation of fungal spores in aqueous suspension of nanoparticles led to the growth of intensely red-coloured fungal hyphae due to the accumulation of gold nanoparticles. Heat treatment of these hybrid materials led to the formation of porous gold microwires. This report is thus an interesting example of using green and sustainable approach to produce nanostructured materials which have potential applications in catalysis, sensing and electronics.
Graphical Abstract
Porous gold microwires are formed by the heat treatment of fungal hyphae–gold nanoparticle composites. These nanoparticle-loaded composites were formed by growing
Aspergillus niger
in gold nanoparticles suspension produced using tea extract as the sole chemical source in addition to the gold salt.