Abstract
We previously reported that ferritin acts as a photocatalyst to form monodispersed gold nanoparticles. Because silver possesses a favorable reduction potential (+0.80 V), we postulated that the ferritin photochemical method could be used to reduce Ag(I) to Ag(0). Additionally, we postulated that similar to gold, the reduced silver should nucleate and form silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the external surface of ferritin. This study reports that Ag(I) can function as an electron acceptor to form monodispersed AgNPs using the ferritin photocatalytic method. The formation and growth of the AgNPs were monitored by following the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 420 nm by spectrophotometry. The resulting monodispersed AgNPs were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Gel filtration chromatography demonstrated that the AgNPs comigrated with ferritin through the column suggesting a strong association with ferritin. AgNPs are known to possess antimicrobial properties. The antimicrobial properties of Ferritin-AgNPs were compared to commercially available AgNPs by testing the minimal growth inhibition ofStaphylococcus aureus. Commercially available AgNPs inhibited bacterial growth at 5 ppm AgNPs, and Ferritin-AgNPs inhibited growth at 20 ppm Ferritin-AgNPs.
Highlights
Silver nanoparticles have unique properties that differ from the bulk material and differ from the individual atoms or ions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
The temperature of the samples during illumination was maintained at 25°C using a water-jacketed cuvette holder connected to a temperature-controlled water bath in an Agilent 8453 UV-Vis spectrophotometer. 1 mL samples were placed in a quartz cuvette and exposed to a full spectrum Hg-halide floodlight (Integrated Dispensing Solutions Inc.), and the reaction progression was monitored in the 2001100 nm range in kinetic mode for the length of the reaction in a UV-Vis spectrophotometer (Agilent 8453)
The photocatalytic formation of the AgNPs was monitored by following the change in absorbance at 420 nm which corresponds to the surface plasmon resonance band of AgNPs (Figures 1(a) and 1(b)) [52]
Summary
Silver nanoparticles have unique properties that differ from the bulk material and differ from the individual atoms or ions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. A variety of characteristics govern the properties of the nanoparticles and depend on the size, shape, and stability of the nanoparticles [10,11,12,13]. Capping agents are often used to control the size, shape, and stability of the nanoparticles, but capping agents influence the properties of the resulting nanoparticles [14,15,16]. Green synthetic methods for preparing and stabilizing nanoparticles are an important priority. To identify capping and reducing agents that are biocompatible, nanoparticles have been synthesized in the presence of organic matter or fruit extracts to identify biocompatible capping agents [17,18,19,20]
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