The synthesis of silver, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles and their antimicrobial activity

Three different types of nanoparticles were synthesised in this study, viz silver (Ag), zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) using different chemical methods. These materials were then characterised using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The materials were also tested for anti-bacterial activity. TEM showed that the particles were in the nano-size range (1 – 100 nm). FTIR and UV-Vis Spectroscopy showed the different absorption bands of the synthesised nanoparticles, respectively. Silver nanoparticles showed greater antibacterial activity against several bacteria than titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles. The highest inhibition was observed for Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results showed that antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles increases with increasing concentration of the nanoparticles. Copyright © 2017 VBRI Press.