Study of the effect of Persea americana seed in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antimicrobial properties

This work details the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using different concentrations of Persea americana seed extract. UV-Vis absorption spectra showed the characteristic surface plasmon resonance band of Ag NPs at 430 nm. TEM micrographs showed that the size of the Ag NPs increased depending on the amount of extract used, presenting a tendency towards a spherical morphology. The antibacterial activity of the Ag NPs was studied using E. coli where the samples showed inhibitory effects at different silver concentrations. The biogenic Ag NPs promoted an increased methylene blue Raman signal demonstrating that they are a suitable substrate for use in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS).