Synthesis and characterization of Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures and an assessment on their enhanced bacterial inhibition and photocatalytic degradation

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver-doped ZnO nanoparticles with varying silver concentrations (1, 3, 5, and 7 mol%) were synthesized using a simple and cost-effective sol-gel method. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized in terms of their optical, structural, and morphological properties using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The study revealed that band gap decreases and particle size increases with increasing Ag content. The hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure of ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO is confirmed by XRD. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanoparticles toward methylene blue degradation, along with their antibacterial activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, and antifungal activity against <i>Candida albicans</i>, was investigated.