Silver Ions Modified α-Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles: An Efficient Antibacterial Agent for Multidrug Resistant Bacteria

Herein, silver ions modified α-Fe₂O₃ (Ag: α-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel auto-combustion method comprising of dual phase i.e. trigonal structure of α-Fe₂O₃ and FCC structure of Ag. The refinement results verified the existence of both the phase with R-3c: R s and Fm-3 m space group. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed the crystallite size around 34.24 ± 2.00 nm. The percentage of Ag⁰ and Ag⁺ verified through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) clearly indicate that around 74% of the Ag present is in the metallic form. The cyclic voltammetry showed that the C_sp of the Ag: α-Fe₂O₃ NPs modified electrode is 132 Fg ^− 1 and 100 Fg ^− 1 when recorded at a scan rate of 50 mVs^− 1 and 75 mVs^− 1, respectively. The Zones of Inhibition (ZOI) against bacterial strains generated by utilizing Ag: α-Fe₂O₃ NPs are clearly showed the ZOI of 19 ± 1 mm against Bacillus subtilis. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited higher inhibition against the bacterial strains in comparison to the standard antibiotic ampicillin. Further, cell viability analysis suggested to use a concentration of 9 to 12 µg/ml for Ag: α-Fe₂O₃in invitro experiments.