Biogenic nanoparticles synthesis is gaining more attention from researchers due to its eco-friendly and biocompatible nature. In this study, we report an easy and green method for silver nanoparticle preparation using the leaf extract of Phyllanthus niruri. The constituents of PN extract act as reducing and capping agents. The formation of PN-AgNPs was confirmed by UV-Vis Spectroscopy which showed a characteristic SPR at around 420 nm. TEM analysis revealed the formation of spherical NPs in the size range of 50-60 nm. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the crystalline nature of the synthesized AgNPs. The anti-fungal activity of the PN-AgNPs was evaluated against three different fungal strains: Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Candida fumigatus using the agar-well diffusion method. The results demonstrated the significant anti-fungal activity of PN-AgNPs against the tested fungal strains compared to the positive control, Amphotericin B. PN-AgNPs shows higher fungal activity against A.niger with ~13.3 mm inhibition. The catalytic activity of PN-AgNPs was investigated in the methyl orange dye degradation process. The results showed that the degradation process is extremely fast and it follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. Approximately 94% degradation efficiency attained at first cycle and shows good recyclability. This study suggests that PN-AgNPs can be potentially used as an effective anti-fungal agent and a catalyst to degrade environmentally toxic dyes.
