Facile one pot synthesis of core shell Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles for catalytic and antimicrobial activity

•Novel, and eco-friendly process of core shell nanoparticle synthesis is developed.•Biological fermented product, whisky was used for the synthesis of nanoparticles.•Reusability for catalytic activity of nanoparticles is demonstrated.•Nanoparticles showed antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms.

Silica core shell silver nanoparticles (Ag@SiO2 NPs) have been prepared by a one step synthesis in an eco-friendly way. Biological fermented product, i.e. whisky was used as a reducing agent for silver ions and as a catalyst for the formation of silica shell on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The structural and morphological studies were done by various analytical techniques to reveal its crystalline nature and core-shell structure. The catalytic activity of Ag@SiO2 NPs for the reduction of mixture of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and rhodamine-B (Rh-B) in presence of NaBH4 and its reusability are demonstrated. The antibacterial activity of Ag@SiO2 NPs against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was studied.

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