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Recently, with the developments in the field of nanotechnology, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become one of the most fascinated nanoparticles by virtue of their multifarious applications in wide array of disciplines. AgNPs hold unique physical, chemical, and biological properties which determine their suitability in these applications. The synthesis of AgNPs using the principles of green chemistry in contrast to other methods is not only eco-friendly and cost-effective, but the nanoparticles thus formed are also biocompatible. AgNPs produced by such means express certain unique characteristics which allow them to be used as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer agents. Moreover, natural catalytic action for degradation of pollutants, usefulness in treatment of diabetes-related complications, and wound healing properties make AgNPs even more valuable. A lot of work has been done on AgNPs in the past, hence a comprehensive review article will be more beneficial for the readers and futuristic work. Therefore, the present review article is aimed to provide a detailed study of various biological methodologies employed in synthesis of AgNPs, their characteristics, and applications in various fields.

This experimentation explores the usage of three types of biodiesel consisting of palm, jatropha and cottonseed incorporated in a single-cylinder four-stroke CI engine to evaluate the performance, emission and combustion indices. The objective of this study is to prepare biodiesel blends of three types: (i) primary, (ii) binary and (iii) ternary, and investigate their behaviors to identify the optimal blends that produce the lowest emissions and adequate performance with no significant engine modifications. Experimental investigations carried out in this study indicate that by increasing biodiesel quantity in the blend, a rise in brake thermal efficiency and a marginal increase in brake specific fuel consumption were deduced. P30 blend was superior among the biodiesel blends, showing a maximum thermal efficiency of 36.83%. Biodiesel blends were reported to emit lower NOx emissions at higher loads and increased NOx at low loads compared to diesel. Culminated values of NOx were shown by CS30 (601 ppm); similarly, binary blend PJ30 showed a curtailed amount of NOx (497 ppm) at 20 N-m loading. Lower emissions of unburnt hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide are noticed for biodiesel blends with values lying in a range of 35–40 ppm and 0.04%, respectively, while the smoke emissions escalated for biodiesel blends reaching up to 76% for PJCS20. Among combustion indices, biodiesels showed lower heat release rate (HRR) and lower maximum pressure than diesel and increasing blend ratio resulted in lower HRR and higher pressure. P10 blend was observed to be providing better performance and emissions (lowered HC and CO) compared to all other blends.

In the present study, we report a simple, robust, and eco-friendly one pot synthesis of gentamicin conjugated gold nanoparticles (G-GNPs), where gentamicin behaves dually as a reducing as well as a stabilizing agent. The resultant nanoparticles were characterized through different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques and found to be almost spherical in shape with hydrodynamic diameter of ~ 15 nm along with excellent stability. The antibacterial potential was evaluated by well diffusion assay and showed that G-GNPs effectively inhibit the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria viz. Escherichia coli DH5α, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 3160 (p