Synthesis and antibacterial activity of Ag/CeO2 hybrid architectures

Flower-like ceria (CeO 2 ) architectures consisting of well aligned nanosheets were first synthesized by a glycol solvothermal method. The size of CeO 2 architectures is about 5 μm in width and 10 μm in length, with the nanosheets thickness below 100 nm. Subsequently, the adsorbed Ag ions on the surface of CeO 2 were in situ reduced to form Ag nanoparticles (NPs), leading to the fabrication of Ag/CeO 2 hybrid architectures (HAs). The formed Ag NPs with sizes of 20–40 nm were uniformly loaded on the surface of the CeO 2 sheets. The antibacterial properties of Ag/CeO 2 HAs against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus were evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and a filter paper inhibition zone method. The results demonstrated that Ag/CeO 2 HAs displayed excellent antibacterial activity toward S. aureus and E. coli , which were attributed to the synergistic antibacterial effect between Ag NPs and CeO 2 in HAs . Here, CeO 2 nanoflowers as a new substrate could restrict Ag NPs aggregations and improve their antibacterial activities. Therefore, the resulted Ag/CeO 2 HAs would be considered as a promising antibacterial agent.