Virus-assisted biological methods for greener synthesis of nanomaterials

Abstract The recent developments in the field of nanotechnology mainly focus on the efficient eco-friendly green approach for the synthesis of nanomaterials. This field has gained excessive attention of many researchers in recent years due to its unique characteristics such as sustainable, design alternative capability, economical, energy-efficient, clean, and nontoxic routes toward the synthesis of nanomaterials. The synthesis of nanomaterials using biological resources (as a biodegradable agent) has extensively studied as possible methods and an efficient way for the greener synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs). Several varieties of biological resources such as microorganisms, bacteria, plants, virus, algae, yeast, and fungi have been reported so far for the biogenic synthesis of various NPs in different sizes and shapes. Specific virus-assisted synthesis of nanomaterial strategy offers a reliable, simple, nontoxic and environmentally friendly method. In this chapter, we summarize the state of the art in the utilization of various viruses as sources for the green synthesis of various nanomaterials and its promising application in the field of nanotechnology. Further, we highlight the effect of the reaction conditions (such as pH, temperature, concentration, mixing ratio, and incubation period) for synthesis and the potential importance of these methods in evaluating nanoparticle hazard to both health and the environment.