Extracellular microbial synthesis of gold nanoparticles using fungus Hormoconis resinae

In this study, the fungus Hormoconis resinae was screened from soil near a refinery and was found to produce stable gold nanoparticles extracellularly. The kinetics of the reaction was studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy and was further characterized by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. These analyses revealed that the gold nanoparticles are spherical and in nano-regime. The most important feature of Hormoconis resinae fungi is the following fact: they have a widespread presence in soil and can produce huge biomass. Such a cheap source of material gives the opportunity for cost-effective preparation of various gold-based nanostructures.