Synthesis, characterization of silver/kaolinite nanocomposite and studying its antibacterial activity.

In the present study, silver/kaolinite nanocomposites were synthesized by impregnation in a silver nitrate solution. Silver nanoparticles are deposited onto the surface of the kaolinite by a simple wet reduction of a silver precursor using hydrogen peroxide as a reducing agent. Elemental, mineral composition, structure and morphology of natural kaolinite and synthesized nanocomposites are characterized by X-ray diffractometry, FT-IR spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs/kaolinite nanocomposites to Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli strains was studied by the minimum inhibitory concentration method. The obtained AgNPs/kaolinite nanocomposite was shown to have antimicrobial potential.