Photocatalytic and antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles fabricated by Bacillus subtilis SJ 15

ABSTRACT

Nanoparticle fabrication by microorganisms is highly remarkable due to its control over the size and shape. In the current study, Bacillus subtilis SJ 15 isolated from soil has been confirmed to have the potential to form silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The synthesized AgNPs showed promising antimicrobial activity and excellent photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. As the synthesized AgNPs were confirmed to have the potential to be exploited as a nanomedicine or as a catalytic agent for next generation dye degradation systems, the obtained result is highly remarkable.

KEYWORDS:

• Silver nanoparticles
• methylene blue
• photocatalytic degradation
• pathogens
• antibacterial

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, India, for Senior Research Fellowship to the author Roshmi Thomas and DBT RGYI and DBT – MSUB-IPLSARE programmes in School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, for the help of UV-Visible spectroscopy, FTIR analysis, and PCR. In addition, they thank the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, for the help and support for the HR-TEM, SEM, and EDS analysis of samples. They also thank the Director, School of Pure and Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India, for the help in XRD analysis.