Tuning the morphological, optical, and antimicrobial properties of α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals using different solvents

Abstract

New, effective antimicrobial agents are constantly being evaluated for addressing the increased prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections and emerging drug resistance. In this study, α- Ag2WO4 microcrystals were prepared by controlled coprecipitation (90 °C for 10 min) in different solvents (e.g., water, an alcoholic solution, and an ammoniacal solution). From the X-ray diffraction results, the newly synthesized α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals are wellindexed to the orthorhombic structure. Two morphologies were seen by field-emission scanning electron microscopy: microrods in the alcoholic solution and flowerlike structures in water and the ammoniacal solution. The synthesized α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals exhibited antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the antibacterial performance of the α-Ag2WO4 samples as a function of their structural and morphological features was discussed.