Preparation and antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles intercalated kenyaite materials

Abstract

In this work a pure and well-crystallized kenyaite material was synthesized by hydrothermal method. It is then used to prepare silver-exchanged kenyaite materials active against pathogen bacteria strain by an ion exchange method. All the solids obtained were characterized by x-ray diffraction (DRX), Infrared FTIR spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric (TGA), Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), diffuse reflectance ultraviolet (DRUV) analysis and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based on XRD results the structures of Kenyaite with different silver ratios are preserved after ion exchange. The XPS and DRUV analysis confirm that silver is loaded in both Ag+ and Ag° states. The SPR analysis indicate the presence of absorption band characteristics of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) between 390 nm and 500 nm. Furthermore, the intensity of this band increases as the silver content in Kenyaite increases. Used as antibacterial agent against E. coli bacteria, the silver silver-exchanged Kenyaite materials display a relatively high antibacterial activity which is mainly due to the presence of Ag-NPs species located on the surface of the solid kenyaite matrix.