[7] and silica oxide [8] NPs, which can be produced by mycofabrication-(NPs synthesis systems using fungi). Apart from fungi, there is a variety of microorganisms producing NPs, such as many bacteria, biofilms [9], actinomycetes [10] and extremophiles [11]. Apart from bacteria, fungi are a favorable option for NPs synthesis. Fungi are filamentous by nature and able to withstand the pressure of flow and mixing in the bioreactor trough. In addition, they can accumulate metals by biological and physicochemical means. Fungi are an excellent choice for large-scale production as biocatalysts because of their ability to secrete extracellular enzymes [7]. By contrast, the bacterial fermentation process involves numerous additional steps to obtain a clear filtrate of colloidal broth [12].In this review we discuss strategies for NP synthesis with emphasis on the bottom-up myco-approach and its application and flexibility for use in many industrial fields. Our focus is on aspects related to the size of NPs and methods of measuring this feature. It has been discovered that fungi can efficiently synthesize clusters of atoms of a determined size. We also reviewed NPs produced by Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum), which remains the invincible leader in this field.
NPs synthesis strategiesToday, NPs are produced by numerous chemical and physical methods, although more environmentally friendly methods are available. Bottom-up and top-down are two strategies for the synthesis of metal NPs as shown in figure 1. The bottom-up strategy relates to the formation of structures atom by atom, molecule by molecule or by self-organization [13]. Top-down strategy includes the reduction of material to dimensions of
AbstractFungi with metabolic capacities can efficiently synthesize a wide range of nanoparticles (NPs). This biotransformation process and its product have extensive applications especially for industry, agriculture and medicine, where NPs size and shape is essential and can be defined by specific analytical methods. Fungi cultivation and further bioconversion can be fully controlled to obtain the desired nanoparticles. Additionally, this review provides information about the fungus F. oxysporum, which is able to synthesize the largest amount of different types of NPs.