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. 2022 May 24;27(11):3363.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27113363.

Novel Carboxylic Acid-Capped Silver Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial and Colorimetric Sensing Agents

Muhammad Imran Irfan  1   2 , Fareeha Amjad  2 , Azhar Abbas  2   3 , Muhammad Fayyaz Ur Rehman  2 , Fariha Kanwal  4 , Muhammad Saeed  5 , Sami Ullah  2 , Changrui Lu  1
Affiliations

Novel Carboxylic Acid-Capped Silver Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial and Colorimetric Sensing Agents

Muhammad Imran Irfan et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The present work reports the synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial activities of adipic acid-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs@AA) and their utilization for selective detection of Hg2+ ions in an aqueous solution. The AgNPs were synthesized by the reduction of Ag+ ions with NaBH4 followed by capping with adipic acid. Characterization of as-synthesized AgNPs@AA was carried out by different techniques, including UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and zeta potential (ZP). In the UV-Vis absorption spectrum, the characteristic absorption band for AgNPs was observed at 404 nm. The hydrodynamic size of as-synthesized AgNPs was found to be 30 ± 5.0 nm. ZP values (-35.5 ± 2.4 mV) showed that NPs possessed a negative charge due to carboxylate ions and were electrostatically stabilized. The AgNPs show potential antimicrobial activity against clinically isolated pathogens. These AgNPs were found to be selectively interacting with Hg2+ in an aqueous solution at various concentrations. A calibration curve was constructed by plotting concentration as abscissa and absorbance ratio (AControl - AHg/AControl) as ordinate. The linear range and limit of detection (LOD) of Hg2+ were 0.6-1.6 μM and 0.12 μM, respectively. A rapid response time of 4 min was found for the detection of Hg2+ by the nano-probe. The effect of pH and temperature on the detection of Hg2+ was also investigated. The nano-probe was successfully applied for the detection of Hg2+ from tap and river water.

Keywords: AgNPs@AA; XDR typhoid; antimicrobials; colorimetric sensing; mercury; nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Visual color change for the formation of AgNPs@AA (b) UV–Vis spectra of solution of adipic acid (A) and AgNPs@AA (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
FTIR Spectra of adipic acid and AgNPs@AA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) SEM image of AgNPs@AA, (b) histogram for the size distribution of AgNPs@AA estimated from SEM image, and (c) XRD pattern of AgNPs@AA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
DLS analysis of AgNPs@AA having a diameter of 30 nm (a) Zeta potential of AgNPs@AA (b).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Visual response (a) and UV–Vis spectra (b) of different metal ion interactions with AgNPs@AA.
Figure 6
Figure 6
An in situ colorimetric assay for Hg+2 detection by the naked eye.
Figure 7
Figure 7
UV–Vis spectra (a) and Calibration curve (b) for the interaction of various concentrations of Hg+2 ions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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