Synthesis and characterization of selenium nanoparticles stabilized by pumpkin polysaccharide

Abstract

This study presents a green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles from Na₂SeO₃ using ascorbic acid as the reducing agent in the presence of pumpkin polysaccharide (PP). PP was employed as a stabilizing and dispersing agent for selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), which has not been reported in previous studies. The obtained material was characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, EDX, and zeta potential analyses. FTIR profiles revealed that PP capped the SeNPs surface through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions involving hydroxyl and carboxylate groups. Microscopic observations further showed that PP markedly improved the particle morphology of PP-SeNPs, producing nanoparticles with enhanced dispersion, reduced aggregation and a dominant size range of 70 - 120 nm, compared with 75 - 160 nm for uncapped SeNPs. The enhanced colloidal stability was supported by a significantly more negative zeta potential (-22.9 mV versus -8.7 mV for pure SeNPs). Acute toxicity testing demonstrated that PP-SeNPs exhibited low toxicity, with an LD₅₀ value of 945.83 mg/kg. These results suggest that PP offers a promising platform for SeNPs and may support their future biomedical applications.