Ginger (<i>Zingiber officinale</i>)-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver-Doped Tin Oxide Nanoparticles and Evaluation of Its Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract

Green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is a novel development that has gained significant attention because of its low cost, nontoxicity, and environmental friendliness. In the present study, silver-doped stannic oxide (Ag-doped SnO₂) nanoparticle was synthesized by an eco-friendly green synthesis method. The synthesized samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and their antimicrobial activities were assessed against two bacteria <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aurus</i>) and two fungi <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> (<i>F. oxysporum</i>) and <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> (<i>F. graminearum</i>) by using the disk diffusion method. Ag-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles show a strong and broad absorption from UV-vis spectra when compared to pure SnO₂ nanoparticles. FTIR spectral analysis revealed that the peak at 505.69 cm^-1 was assigned to Sn-O and O-Sn-O stretching vibration of SnO₂ nanoparticles. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of a tetragonal rutile structure with average particle size ranging from 10 to 17 nm. The antimicrobial result indicates that the Ag-doped SnO₂ revealed significant antimicrobial activity against both bacterial and fungi strains with the zone of inhibition of 29 ± 0.54, 27 ± 0.05, 17 ± 0.05, and 15 ± 0.05 mm for <i>S. aureus</i>, <i>E. coli</i>, <i>F. oxysporum</i> , and <i>F. graminearum</i>, respectively. Thus, the studies suggested that Ag-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles exhibit good activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. This is because doping SnO₂ nanoparticles with metallic elements such as Ag has been used to enhance their performance, confirming them as a good candidate for antimicrobial agents and the development of future therapeutic agents.