Preparation of silver iodide nanoparticles using laser ablation in liquid for antibacterial applications

In this study, the authors reported the first synthesis process of silver iodide (AgI) nanoparticles (NPs) by pulsed laser ablation of the AgI target in deionised distilled water. The optical and structural properties of AgI NPs were investigated by using UV-vis absorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The optical data showed the presence of plasmon peak at 434 nm and the optical bandgap was found to be 2.6 eV at room temperature. SEM results confirm the agglomeration and aggregation of synthesised AgI NPs. TEM investigation showed that AgI NPs have a spherical shape and the average particle size was around 20 nm. The particle size distribution was the Gaussian type. The results showed that the synthesised AgI NPs have antibacterial activities against both bacterial strains and the activities were more potent against gram-negative bacteria.