Microbial Mediated Synthesis, Characterisation and Application of Selenium Nanoparticles

The development in nanotechnology, specifically the nanoparticulate system, has a great impact on medicine, engineering and other scientific areas. Inorganic nanoparticles such as silver, gold, zinc oxide, selenium, iron, lead, platinum and copper, etc. were found to exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant and other biological activities, used as biosensors and also used in different fields of engineering. In the 21st century, microorganisms and plant parts are playing a major role in the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. Green synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles becomes preferable to other approaches because of its eco-friendly and non-toxic approach. Additionally, the active molecules of plants (Tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, proteins and glycosides) which act as capping and reducing agents in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles could make them most suitable for biomedical applications. This green approach fascinated researchers across the globe to explore the potential of different microorganisms and plants in the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. Selenium nanoparticles are one of the inorganic nanoparticles which are widely used in the area of medicine and engineering. In this chapter, we discussed the green synthesis using microorganism and Agri based products, characterisation and various applications of selenium nanoparticles.