Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of Ag-modified ZnO nanoplates against pathogen

Antibiotic resistance is concerned with public health and a serious threat in modern world. Pathogenic strains are rapidly developing resistance against antibiotics and limiting the treatment options. Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) shows significant results when doped with silver (Ag), therefore used as an antibacterial agent. In this work, we synthesized pure and varying concentration of Ag-doped ZnO nanoplates through a one-step hydrothermal route. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of prepared nanostructures were comparatively studied. Furthermore, we have performed the ager-well assay, minimum inhibitory concentration study, and minimum bactericidal concentration study of synthesized nanoplates against five different bacterial strains including A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. The antimicrobial screening shows that Ag-doped ZnO nanoplates are more effective against all pathogenic strains as compared to pure ZnO, and therefore can be used in biomedical science.