Optimizing the antibacterial
properties of nanocomposites is a
fundamental challenge for many biomedical applications. Here, we study
how we may optimize the antibacterial activity of narrow-sized anisotropically
flat silver nanoprisms (S-NPs) on graphene oxide (GO) against Escherichia coli. To do so, we transformed silver
nanoparticles (AgNPs) into S-NPs and anchored them to GO via a facile
and low-cost photochemical reduction method by varying the irradiation
wavelength during the synthesis process in the visible range (440
to 650 nm and white light). We performed a physicochemical characterization
of the resulting S-NP/GO nanocomposite using a combination of UV–vis
spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy,
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy
(TEM). Our results reveal a synergistic effect between the silver
nanoprism and the oxygen functional groups of the GO surface. The
antibacterial activity of the S-NPs/GO nanocomposite shows a significantly
higher 53% inhibition efficiency after being irradiated with a 540
nm wavelength light source, compared to AgNPs with a 1% inhibition
efficiency, respectively. In so doing, we have demonstrated the utility
of a low-cost photoreduction method to control the structural properties
of silver nanoprism on GO and, in this way, enhance the antibacterial
properties of the nanocomposite. These results should be of great
interest in a wide range of biomedical applications and medical devices.