Controlled synthesis of Ag nanoparticles with different morphologies and their antibacterial properties

In this paper, Ag triangle nanoplates and nanospheres were synthesized by liquid chemical reduction method in the presence of seeds, with l-ascorbic acid as the reductant and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the surface modification agent, respectively. Characterizations of the particles were conducted by various techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry, and thermal analysis. The antibacterial properties of Ag nanoparticles against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated by disk diffusion and broth dilution methods. The results indicate that Ag nanospheres exhibit better antibacterial properties than that of triangle nanoplates.

► Ag nanoparticles with various morphologies were synthesized by reduction method.
► The aging time plays an important role in controlling the morphology.
► The PVP modified Ag nanoparticles have an excellent water dispersibility.
► The as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles exhibit excellent antibacterial properties.