Viability and antibacterial properties of Ba2-x AgxFeMoO6(x=0.0, 0.05) double perovskite oxides

Double perovskite Ba₂FeMoO₆ (BFMO) and doped with Ag ions were synthesized via the sol-gel method. The structural and antibacterial properties and viability of the samples were systematically investigated. The results of the Rietveld refinement indicated that both samples exhibited a single phase with cubic structure and space group Fm-3m. The substitution of Ag ions led to an increase in the unit cell and lattice parameters of BFMO, resulting in a change in the sample's morphology. The direct band gap (∼2eV) was measured for samples by Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). Antibacterial activity of the Ba₂FeMoO₆ and Ba_1.95Ag_0.05FeMoO₆ samples was assessed on the Gram-positive bacteria (<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>) and the Gram-negative bacteria (<i>Escherichia coli</i>) using the spread plate method. The results showed that the samples were effective against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> but not against <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The sample doped with Ag ions showed a higher antibacterial effect than the pristine sample. An MTT assay of the normal fibroblast cell line treated with an Ag-doped sample showed a higher percentage of viability.