Gamma Irradiation Assisted the Sol-Gel Method for Silver Modified-Nickel Molybdate Nanoparticles Synthesis: Unveiling the Antimicrobial, and Antibiofilm Activities Against Some Pathogenic Microbes

Herein, this work aims to reveal the gamma irradiation-assisted the sol-gel method for the synthesis of silver (Ag) modified-nickel molybdate nanoparticles (NiMoO4; NMO NPs) and tested for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against some pathogenic bacteria and unicellular fungi. The prepared samples were characterized via XRD, HR-TEM, SEM, EDX, and elemental mapping analysis. The antimicrobial potential was tested as ZOI and MIC, while antibiofilm was estimated by tube method. The detected diffraction peaks of bare NMO NPs affirmed the successful synthesis of NMO NPs without any foreign phases. Also, three diffraction peaks were detected affirming the formation of Ag NPs on the surface of NMO NPs. The average crystallite size for the bare NMO NPs and Ag@NMO NPs was found to be 71.8 nm and 48.28 nm, respectively. Also, the SEM images have illustrated the decoration of Ag NPs on the NMO surface. Further, the TEM image illustrated that the particles of NMO possess a hexagonal shape in the nanoscale regime. Also, the elemental mapping images confirm the uniform distribution of these elements over the Ag@NMO sample. Antimicrobial results revealed that the synthesized Ag@NMO NPs recorded the most significant inhibition zone more than NMO NPs against Enterococcus columbae (33.3 +/- 0.115 mm), and Candida albicans (30.8 +/- 0.572 mm), and the lowest MIC (0.048 mu g/ml) against E. columbae. Antibiofilm activity of Ag@NMO NPs recording 94.32% for E. columbae, 91.99% for S. vitulinus, and 90.98% for C. albicans. SEM imaging in the lack of Ag@NMO NPs exhibited normally grown bacterial cells with standard typical semi-formed biofilm. After Ag@NMO NPs treatment, remarkable morphological changes; including the total lysis of the outer surface attended by deformations with the reduction in the whole viable number.