Synthesis of Silver(I) Complexes Containing 3-Oxo-3-phenyl-2-(2-phenylhydrazono)propanal-Based Ligands as a Multifunction Platform for Antimicrobial and Optoelectronic Applications

Toward multifunctionality, including antimicrobial andoptoelectronicapplications, herein, we reported the synthesis of a novel Ag(I) complexwith 3-oxo-3-phenyl-2-(2-phenylhydrazono)propanal-based ligands including3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)hydrazono]-3-oxopropanal (namedas "4A"), 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-[2-(4-methylphenyl)hydrazono]-3-oxopropanal(named as "6A"), and 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-oxo-2-(2-phenylhydrazono)propanal(named as "9A"). The synthesized compoundswere characterized through FTIR, H-1 NMR, and density functionaltheory (DFT). The morphological features and thermal stability wereevaluated through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and TG/DTAanalysis. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized Ag complexeswas tested against various pathogens, including Gram-negative bacteria(Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia), Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcusmutans), and fungi (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger). Results show that the synthesizedcomplexes (Ag(4A), Ag(6A), and Ag(9A)) possess promising antimicrobial efficacy against variouspathogens and are in good competition with several standard drugsas well. On the other hand, the optoelectronic features such as absorbance,band gap, and Urbach energy were examined by measuring the absorbanceusing a UV-vis spectrophotometer. The values of the band gapreflected the semiconducting nature of these complexes. The complexationwith Ag resulted in a lowering band gap to match the apex of the solarspectrum. Such low band gap values are preferable for optoelectronicapplications like dye-sensitized solar cells, photodiodes, and photocatalysis.