In this work, Ag/Ag2O composites were synthesized by treating silver thin films manufactured by thermal evaporation method with oxygen plasma afterglow. In order to verify the antibacterial behavior of these composites, inhibition zone tests were realized for Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that individual silver nanoparticles at concentrations that can be controlled by the stoichiometric ratios of the Ag/Ag2O composites, were the main factor in the inhibition of bacteria. In addition, we found that the degree of degradation of individual silver nanoparticles absorption peaks represented a suitable criterion for determining the bacterial inhibition activity of the prepared silver oxide films. The results also showed that the sample treated at 1000 watts gave the highest rate of bacterial inhibition. This research includes an attempt to correlate the bacterial inhibition activity of silver oxide thin films with the structural and spectroscopic properties of these films.
Keywords: silver oxide; individual silver; nanoparticles; thermal evaporation; oxygen plasma afterglow; Staphylococcus aureus; inhibition zone tests
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