Green Synthesis of Gold Nanorods

Gold nanorods have attracted attention because of their various biomedical applications such as delivery of drugs, biosensing, bioimaging, and photothermal therapy. The conventional methods for synthesis of gold nanorods are wet chemistry inclined and hazardous to the ecosystem. Green synthesis of gold nanorods has emerged as a method that is safe to the ecosystem. This chapter describes the historical perspective of synthesis of gold nanorods using plant extracts and microorganisms. The benefits and limitations of green synthesis of gold nanorods are presented. The mechanism by which green-synthesized gold nanorods exert antibacterial effects and the implications of green-synthesized gold nanorods for a sustainable clean environment are discussed herein.