## 3 Results and Discussion
### Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Analysis  
Scanning Electron Microscopy is often employed to deduce the size and morphology of NPs, whereas the detection, confirmation, and composition of AgNPs are conducted using EDX analysis [37; 38; 39]. The SEM analysis in the present study revealed that AgNPs produced using latex extracts from _T. ventricosa_ appeared \(<\)100 nm in size, mostly spherical  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline
**Extract** & **Latex** \\ \hline Dried extract yield (g) & 0.15 \\ Yield (\%) & 14.80 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: The percentage yield of the synthesized AgNPs using latex extracts from _T. ventricosa_.  
Figure 1: (**A**) Visual representation of latex extract + AgNO\({}_{3}\) before Ag nanoparticle synthesis (incubation); (**B**) synthesized Ag nanoparticles using latex extracts after incubation with AgNO\({}_{3}\) for 3 h at 80 \({}^{\circ}\)C.  
Figure 2: UV-vis spectra of AgNPs synthesized using latex extracts of _T. ventricosa_.  
and extremely agglomerated as displayed in Figure 3A. These results are consistent with [PERSON] et al. [39]. In their study, _Ficus carica_ latex extracts were similarly used to produce AgNPs, which were mainly spherical and ranged from 50 to 200 nm; however, no occurrences of agglomeration were noted [39]. The various types of microscopes (SEM vs. ESEM), TEM, and the sample preparation techniques before analyses differ, which may account for these observable differences in agglomeration. Moreover, additional reports have shown that the variation in agglomeration may be dependent upon several other aspects such as variations in the reaction temperature, extract concentration, and AgNO\({}_{3}\) concentration [40; 41]. Furthermore, [PERSON] et al. [42] observed that the various interactions between hydrogen bonds and electrostatic forces of the bio-organic capping molecules may also influence the accumulation of smaller particle sizes, thus leading to an increased agglomeration of AgNPs.  
Figure 3: (**A**) Scanning Electron Microscopy images of AgNPs synthesized using latex extracts of _T. Ventricosa_. Distinctive agglomeration within the image. (**B**) An EDX spectra and average elemental composition (%) of Ag in latex extracts. Circle indicated Ag.  
The elemental analysis (Figure 3B) indicated the presence of elemental Ag in AgNPs synthesized using latex. The EDX spectra showed a moderate Ag peak at 3 KeV (Figure 3B), which is often associated with the optical absorption peaks of surface plasmon resonance for Ag [3, 43]. Furthermore, these AgNPs displayed a percentage of elemental Ag of 3.89 \(\pm\) 0.16% (Figure 3). Although the composition of elemental Ag does not appear high, the EDX analysis does confirm adequate Ag production. It has been proposed by several researchers that the observable differences in the percentage composition of AgNPs are primarily affected by the chemical composition of the bioactive compounds of various extracts [29, 33, 41]. Furthermore, the lower concentration of latex (1%) used in the current study may be a contributing factor, since other studies have used higher concentrations of latex for the synthesis of AgNPs [6, 12, 35]. [PERSON] et al. [12] utilized 3% latex solutions from _Ficus sycomorus_ for the synthesis of AgNPs, and their results revealed a yield of 98.49%, which was significantly larger compared to the current study. The occurrences of other elemental signals such as oxygen (O\({}_{2}\)), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and various other elements (Figure 3B) are possibly due to the presence of several enzymes and proteins detected within the latex of _T. ventricosa_[3, 12, 33, 40].