Metallic nanoparticles — How to make them friendly

In the growing field of nanotechnology there is an increasing need to develop new methods to prepare metallic nanoparticles which provide control of size, colloidal dispersion and reproducibility, and, in the same time, to be environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive. In the present work, we report two very simple and versatile methods to synthesize spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) bellow 20 nm, by using, on the one hand, low arc discharge in ultrapure water, and on the other hand, honey, as reducing and stabilizing agent. Their morphological and optical properties were investigated, as well as their behaviour in biological media, as a starting point for their toxicological effects evaluation.