Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activities of Ag2O nanoparticle and silver (І) nanorod complex

In this work, we synthesized a new compound of silver(І) with a Schiff-base ligand, 2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene (L=3-bpdh), [Ag(3-bpdh) (NO3)]n (1). The compound was characterized by infra-red (IR) spectroscopy. The nanorods of this compound were synthesized by sonochemistery method and characterized by IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanoparticles of silver(I) oxide were obtained by direct thermolysis at 700°C on air atmosphere and characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. The Schiff-base ligand, bulk and nano-forms of compound (1) and silver (І) oxide nanoparticles were screened for antibacterial activities against two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. The results revealed that all compounds exhibit antimicrobial activities. The compound 1 in nano- scale and silver(I) oxide nanorods have a stronger antibacterial effect in comparison with Schiff base ligand and bulk form of the compound 1.