Open Access

ARTICLE

Selenium nanoparticles: effect of autoclave treatment on size, shape, phase and antimicrobial properties

T. Hesabizadeh^a, R. Subedi^a, T. J. Webster^b,c,d, G. Guisbiers^a,*

a Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 South University Avenue, 72204 Little Rock, USA
b School of Health Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, China
c School of Engineering, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
d Division of Pre-college & Undergraduate Students, Brown University, Providence, USA

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2024, 21(11), 847-854. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2024.2111.847

Received 13 August 2024; Accepted 02 November 2024;

Abstract

Amorphous selenium nanoparticles have been synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquids. After undergoing a thermal treatment at 121°C for 60 minutes, the amorphous nanoparticles crystallized into trigonal ones. The antimicrobial properties of both amorphous and trigonal nanoparticles have been compared; and the amorphous ones displayed better antibacterial and antifungal properties compared to the trigonal ones. Specifically, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Candida albicans were almost completely inhibited in the presence of amorphous selenium nanoparticles at 0.025 microgram/ml concentrations after 24 hours of in vitro culture, compared to controls (no nanoparticles). In summary, such a high sensitivity of these bacterial and fungal strains to low concentrations of amorphous selenium nanoparticles warrants further investigation to develop efficient anti-bacterial and anti-fungal treatments.

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Keywords

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