Ensuring sustainable plant-assisted nanoparticles synthesis through process standardization and reproducibility: Challenges and future directions – A review

Abstract

The synthesis of nanoparticles using sustainable plant-assisted techniques offers great potential for various applications, including biomedicine and environmental remediation. The methods have numerous benefits in terms of safety, environmental sustainability, and resource efficiency. However, maintaining standardization and reproducibility in these synthesis processes remains a critical challenge. Factors such as variations in plant species, growth conditions, and extraction methods have been identified as contributing factors to inconsistencies in the properties and performance of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the use of diverse experimental protocols and analytical techniques complicates the comparison and validation of data across investigations. Standardization protocols and advances in analytical methods, such as standardized characterization methodologies and data reporting practices, ensure reproducibility and facilitate meaningful comparisons between research. This review examines the current level of sustainable plant-assisted nanoparticle synthesis, focusing on the barriers to standardization and reproducibility, and proposes future directions to enhance result reliability, promote consistency and reproducibility, enable comparisons, foster collaboration, and advance industrial applications of plant-assisted nanoparticles through process standardization.