Plant-Derived Sustainable Technologies: Integrating Scientometric Analysis of Green Nanoparticle Synthesis with Advances in Natural Dye Extraction

Abstract

Although there has been rapid development in sustainable technologies based on plants as environmentally friendly alternatives for the synthesis of green nanoparticles and naural dyes, it is necessary to explore combining global scientometric analysis with the latest technological advances in extractions. This work provides an integrative review that includes scientometric analysis of literature about the synthesis of nanoparticles using plants as well as the sources of natural dyes, methods of their extraction, methods of characterization of the dyes, and sustainable applications. Scientometric analysis of 1,762 publications during 2015–2025 from 520 different sources has been performed to evaluate scientific growth, collaborations, keyword dynamics, and new topics related to the synthesis of nanoparticles using plants. The analysis has shown that the average annual growth rate was 18.81%, and that there was a transition from synthesis and characterization to application-oriented research in the field of photocatalysis and environmental protection. Based on the results of the analysis, a review of the main sources of plants for natural dyes, traditional and modern extraction methods, such as ultrasonic, microwave, and Soxhlet extractions, as well as their features and sustainability, has been provided. The recent achievements in the characterization of the dyes using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, HPLC, LC–MS, XRD, and SEM–EDX have been presented. In summary, this review paper attempts to combine scientometric knowledge with the progress made in the development of technology in the extraction of natural dyes, and outlines the trends in present-day research as well as existing knowledge gaps.