Fabrication and antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus of silver nanoparticle decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites

In this study, silver/reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ method with five mass ratios of AgNO3:GO ratio. The characterizations of GO, rGO, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and Ag/rGO were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area. The characterization results showed that AgNPs (15–25 nm) were uniformly distributed on the rGO sheets. The antibacterial activity of Ag/rGO was tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus by optical density and plate colony-counting methods. The tests revealed that the antibacterial activity of Ag/rGO with AgNO3:GO ratio of 2:1 was the highest. The minimal inhibitory concentration values of Ag/rGO were 12.5 and 50 µg/mL; and the minimum bactericidal concentration values were 50 and 400 µg/mL for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Accordingly, the obtained Ag/rGO nanocomposite could be considered as a potential antibacterial agent.