Structural and Antibacterial Properties of Silver Substituted Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles.

In the present study, silver substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (Co1-xAgxFe2O4, x=0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1) have been synthesized by sol-gel technique. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of the spinel structure in all the samples. The crystallite size of the samples was calculated from the prominent diffraction peak using Scherrer formula and it was found to be in the 14 to 20 nm range. The lattice parameter increases initially for x=0.025 and decrease thereafter. The antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite materials was investigated against selected Gram negative and Gram positive bacterial strains. An enhancement in the activity is observed with the addition of silver into cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. These materials with improved structural and antibacterial properties can find applications in therapeutics, textile industry and hygiene.