# Green Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles utilising the Maillard Reaction

## TL;DR

This paper introduces an eco-friendly method to create copper nanoparticles using natural compounds and a Maillard reaction, allowing control over nanoparticle size.

## Contribution

A novel green synthesis method for copper nanoparticles using the Maillard reaction and natural reagents is introduced.

## Key findings

- Copper nanoparticles were synthesized using arginine and monosaccharides via the Maillard reaction.
- Nanoparticle size can be tuned down to 3 nm by adjusting arginine concentration.
- The method is nontoxic, uses aqueous solutions, and has quantitative yield.

## Abstract

A new approach for the fabrication copper nanoparticles by a wet chemical reduction method is reported. The natural resources arginine as amino compound and several monosaccharides (xylose, ribose, galactose and glucose) react characteristically performing an Amadori rearrangement followed by a Maillard type reaction. This reaction carried out in an aqueous solution ensures an environmentally friendly way of reducing copper(II) ions leading to the formation of the desired nanoparticles. By changing the concentration of the amino acid, simultaneously acting as a complexing agent, it is possible to tune the size of the resulting nano particles to a certain degree down to 3 nm. This nontoxic and facile preparation route with quantitative yield opens a wide field of applications ranging from electronics to medical approaches.

This paper presents a green synthesis method for copper nanoparticles using the Amadori rearrangement followed by the Maillard reaction. Naturally derived reagents like monosaccharides (xylose and galactose) and arginine reduce copper ions in an aqueous solution. The nanoparticle size, adjustable by arginine concentration, ranges from in the lowest regime between 3–16 nm.