5-minute synthesis of gelatinous silver nanoparticles using microwave radiation: Plasmonic optical spectroscopy and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

It is well known that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) show impressive antimicrobial effects toward various bacterial types and yeast. Microwave and thermal mediated synthesis of AgNPs in gelatin permit stable Ag NPs without stabilizing or capping agents using an eco-friendly strategy. In biomedical applications, the developed AgNPs were more successful than those synthesized via chemical methods. The morphological structure and particle size were obtained by TEM. The particle size distribution for the studied samples under microwave and thermal heating processes was analyzed and described. The optical properties were studied via UV–vis spectroscopy. The surface resonance plasmon (SPR) band is located approximately at 400 nm. Antimicrobial study of AgNPs embedded in gelatin media by the thermal method is more effective than that embedded by microwave method against Bacillus subtilis, E-coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria is greater than that of Gram-positive bacteria. Alongside this, the increase in gelatin concentration led to a decrease in bioactivity. Silver nanoparticles are essential nanoparticles in medicine, food, industrials, and material engineering for future medical technology.