Bibliometric exploration of green synthesized silver nanoparticles for antibacterial activity

The green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) is a promising, sustainable approach that converts plant biomass into valuable biocompatible antibacterial agents, providing sustainable solutions to mitigate toxic and hazardous chemicals. This review aims to examine the relationship among cited, citing publications, present themes and emerging research trends based on these selective keywords “green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity from 2007 to 2023”. The bibliographic data was retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database on July 02, 2023, yielding 1041 documents. Inclusion criteria were based on (Topic) which includes titles, abstract, keyword plus and author keywords. Document type (Articles), publication year (2007–2023) and language (English). Review articles, proceeding papers and book chapters were excluded. The bibliometric analysis employed science mapping techniques, including co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and co-occurrence analysis of keywords, using the VOSviewer software. The findings highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the synthesis and antibacterial mechanisms of AgNPs, as well as the importance of optimizing the synthesis process to enhance production efficiency and stability while minimizing the use of toxic substances. The analysis identifies main keywords for future research, such as “leaf extracts”, “antioxidant activity”, “anticancer activity”, “in-vitro studies”, “metallic oxide nanoparticles”, and “zinc oxide nanoparticles”. These science mapping techniques provide a comprehensive overview of the thematic and intellectual landscape of the field. By utilizing co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and co-word analysis, researchers can uncover core themes, emerging trends, and interconnections within the literature, offering a clearer understanding of the field's development and focus areas. Articles with higher total link strength indicate their influential nature and highly valued research content. Ultimately, our findings provide both theoretical and practical insights into the green synthesis of AgNPs using various plant extracts and their antibacterial properties.