A facile novel synthesis of AgCuO2 delafossite nanoparticles and evaluation of their antimicrobial activity

Bi-functional nano-oxides are of growing interest to address environmental issues. In the present study, the structural and magnetic data are presented together with the antimicrobial activities (AMA). For the first time, silver delafossite oxide (AgCuO2) is successfully fabricated using a simple, low-cost technique to target antibiotic photodegradation and inactivation of model waterborne pathogens. It is prepared with an equimolar initial Ag+:Cu+ concentration ratio. The structure, morphology, and magnetic properties are studied by different characterization techniques. The size and shape of AgCuO2 NPs, in addition to their structural polytypes of 2H (hexagonal) or 3R (rhombohedral), are dependent on the preparation conditions. The existence of Cu, Ag, and O in the synthesized delafossite AgCuO2 NPs with no evidence of any impurity is ratified by the XPS spectrum. AFM measurements are taken to characterize the surface morphologies of AgCuO2. The distributed spiks are evaluated by roughness kurtosis (Rku). The roughness kurtosis has a value of 2.65 (< 3), indicating that the prepared sample is classified as bumpy. The prepared sample has 13.0, 10.0, 14.0, and 14.0 mm Inhibition Zone Diameter (IZD) antimicrobial activity against gram-positive Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), respectively. The IZD for gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli), Neisseria Gonorrhoeae (N. Gonorrhoeae), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Salmonella typhimrium (S. typhimrium) were found to be 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, and 13.0 mm, respectively. Therefore, the AgCuO2 NPs reveal excellent antimicrobial efficiency, and they can be effortlessly separated using a tiny magnet or a simple magnetic separator. The adequate cytotoxicity and magnetic characteristics of the antimicrobial sample suggest a promising future for it in biomedical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, silver delafossite oxide (AgCuO2) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and showed excellent antimicrobial activities against various strains. The structure, morphology, and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were characterized, and their antimicrobial efficiency was evaluated.