Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized By Nd: YAG Laser Ablation Technique: Characterization and Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

The pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique can produce high purity nanoparticles, it is a top-down physical method based on the principle of dividing metal ion bulk precursors into metal atoms, this method was used in this work to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgPNs) by using Nd: YAG laser with two wavelengths (355 nm) and (532 nm) at energies (500 mJ) and (600 mJ) respectively, with the number of pulses (500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 pulses) for each wavelength. The properties of the prepared nanoparticles were investigated by UV-Vis, XRD, SEM with EDX, AFM, and FTIR analysis and then tested for antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) isolated from the oral cavity. The findings demonstrated that AgNPs generated via the PLAL method have antibacterial activity and could be employed to kill dangerous and pathogenic bacteria.