Allium sativum extract mediated synthesis of Ag/Zn bimetallic nanostructures for antibacterial application

Abstract

In this study, Ag and Ag/Zn bimetallic nanostructures (BMNs) were synthesized via the green route by using the extracts of Allium Sativum L plant. The obtained structures were characterized for structural, morphological and optical features by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microcopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The XRD results confirmed cubic crystal structure for the Ag/Zn BMNs with average crystallite size 17.47 nm, while for Ag Ns an average crystallite size of 9.31 nm was noticed. UV-vis spectra of Ag and Ag/Zn BMNs showed absorbance maxima at 402 nm and 360 nm, respectively, while the morphological featured recorded by SEM showed irregular shape for both structures. The antibacterial activities of Ag and Ag/Zn bimetallic structures were investigated against selected bacterial strains, the maximum inhibition being recorded against P. aeruginosa. In addition, the antibacterial effect was found to increase with increased concentration of both Ag and Ag/Zn nanostructures, while a superior effect was noticed for Ag Ns compared to Ag/Zn BMNs for both the gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial strains.