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Among the most notable nanotechnology applications is its employment in environmental remediation and biomedical applications. Nonetheless, there is a need for cleaner and sustainable methods in preparing nanomaterials that use cheaper, more environment-friendly precursors than the conventional synthesis process. The green chemistry approach for the preparation of nanoparticles is becoming more attractive as it uses non-toxic chemicals and reagents. It also offers cost-effective synthesis process as it uses readily available plant sources and microbe as redox mediators in converting metallic cations to metal or metal oxide nanoparticles. The extracts of these plants and microbe sources contain phytochemicals and metabolites in variable quantities, which serve as redox mediators and capping agents that stabilize the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The present article reviews the recent studies on the fabrication of silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag2O-NPs) via plant-mediated and microbe-mediated green synthesis, giving a concise discussion on the green preparation of Ag2O-NPs employing extracts of different plants and microbial sources. The performances of the biosynthesized Ag2O-NPs are also reviewed, highlighting their potential use in photocatalysis and biomedical applications.

Recently, ternary nanocomposites have received attention due to their inimitable properties and various applications. In this paper, the Magnesium Oxide/Silver Oxide/Zinc oxide (MgO/Ag 2 O/ZnO) nanocomposite was prepared via a green process with Mentha pulgium plant extract. The phytochemicals present in plant extract can facilitate the reduction of metal ions, forming nanocomposites. The sample was investigated by the application of FT-IR, UV-Vis, XRD, FESEM/EDS, and Mapping analyses. The XRD spectrum displayed the crystallite structure of nanocomposite with an average crystallite size of about 43.9 (500 °C) and 39 nm (600 °C). FESEM/PSA analysis showed spherical and hexagonal morphology with an average size of about 33.8 nm. Also, EDS analyzes the confirmed existence of zinc, Magnesium, Silver, and Oxygen elements. The outcomes of photocatalytic activity depicted that the degradation percentage of MB (methylene blue) dye (pH = 9.5, dose of synthesis sample ∼ 30 mg, concentration of dye ∼ 0.5 × 10 − 3 M, and light source: UVA) was about 98% after 120 min. Also, the toxicity of the nanocomposite was estimated against cancer PC12 and normal L929 cell lines through the MTT test. The results showed that no significant toxicity was observed against normal cells, but cancer cells reported an IC 50 value of about 123.7 µg/mL. Graphical Abstract

A novel potential adsorbent, produced with chitosan nanoparticles and silver/silver oxide nanoparticles impregnated on polyurethane foam (PFCA), is developed for phosphate removal in aqueous solutions. The ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy uncovered the emergence of nanoparticles. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) provided the mean size of chitosan nanoparticles between 56 and 112 nm and that of silver-silver oxide nanoparticles between 44 and 75 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy determined the presence of specific elements (C, O, P and Ag) in the adsorbent before and after treatment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the interplay between the N–H bond of amino group in PFCA and phosphate ions during adsorption. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of PFCA showed nearly the same pattern before and after treatment, indicating the stability of PFCA. The silver ion concentration in the effluent from inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis was found to be very less and below the drinking water limits. The surface area estimated by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) studies was found to be 2.17 m 2 /g. The experimental studies showed that PFCA can remove 61.24% of phosphate from an influent phosphate phosphorus concentration of 50 mg P/L, at its propitious condition. Even after 7 cycles of reuse, PFCA proved to be effective in removing 20.58% of phosphate. Hence, PFCA can be considered to be a potential sorbent for removing phosphate from surface water. Graphical abstract

This study reports the synthesis of hyaluronic acid-coated silver oxide (Ag 2 O) nano-adsorbents using Bacillus subtilis PV154141.1 for dual environmental and biomedical applications. Multiple parameters were optimized for the formation and constancy of HA-Ag 2 O nano-adsorbents, including silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) concentration and reaction time. Several characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were employed to determine the structural properties, morphology, and elemental composition of the synthesized HA-Ag 2 O nano-adsorbents. XRD pattern confirmed the presence of Ag 2 O nano-adsorbents by showing peaks having hkl values of 110, 111, 200, 220, 311, and 222, located at 2θ values of roughly 26.46°, 32.55°, 37.76°, 54.48°, 64.92° and 68.19°, respectively. SEM analysis indicated a mean particle size of 193.93 ± 0.23 nm for the nano-adsorbents, while EDX confirmed their elemental composition. The optimized nano-adsorbents were subjected to various applications, including the antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, and photocatalytic dye degradation efficiency. The antibacterial activity of HA-Ag 2 O nano-adsorbents was evaluated against gram-negative ( E. coli ) and gram-positive ( S. aureus, Lactobacillus spp. ) pathogens, demonstrating broad-spectrum efficacy. The highest activity was observed against S. aureus (8 ± 0.4 mm inhibition zone), underscoring their potential to treat drug-resistent infections. Additionally, the antioxidant capacity, evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, exhibited a radical scavenging activity of 84.36 ± 0.44%. Under UV irradiation (λ = 365 nm), the HA-Ag 2 O nano-adsorbents achieved 82.28% degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye within 120 min, demonstrating robust photocatalytic activity. Unlike conventional Ag 2 O systems, these biohybrid nano-adsorbents combine the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag 2 O with the biocompatibility and biofilm-inhibiting properties of microbially-derived HA, enabling dual functionality not achieved in single-component systems.

Silver oxide (Ag 2 O) nanoparticles (NPs) were generated by synthesizing green leaf extract of Punica granatum, and afterwards they were used as adsorbent to remove the antibiotic additive sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from aqueous solutions. Prior of their use as adsorbent, the Ag 2 O NPs were characterized by various methods such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Ag 2 O NPs were found to be spherically shaped and stabilized by the constituents of the extract. Further, at SMX antibiotic concentration of 100 mg L –1 , the Ag 2 O NPs achieved almost complete removal of 98.93% within 90 min, and by using 0.8 g L –1 of adsorbent dose at pH=4 and temperature T=308 K. In addition, the experimental data were well fitted with the theoretical Langmuir model indicating homogeneous adsorbed layer of the SMX antibiotic on the Ag 2 O NPs surface. The maximum uptake capacity was 277.85 mg g –1 . A good agreement was also found between the kinetic adsorption data and the theoretical pseudo-second-order model. Regarding the thermodynamic adsorption aspects, the data revealed an endothermic nature and confirmed the feasibility and the spontaneity of the adsorption reaction. Furthermore, the regeneration study has shown that the Ag 2 O NPs could be efficiently reused for up to five cycles. The geometric structures have been optimized and quantum chemical parameters were calculated for the SMX unprotonated (SMX +/- ) and protonated (SMX + ) using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The DFT results indicated that the unprotonated SMX +/- reacts more favorably on the Ag 2 O surface, as compared to the protonated SMX + . The SMX binding mechanism was predominantly controlled by the electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bond, hydrophobic, and π-π interactions. The overall data suggest that the Ag 2 O NPs have promising potential for antibiotic removal from wastewater. Graphical abstract

Drought occurring at the early developmental stages results in a reduction of the wheat growth and development performance, hence, yield and grain quality reduction. Therefore, understanding the role of seed priming through the application of hydropriming and nanopriming using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is highly important in response to drought stress. This study aims to detect the natural phenotypic variation of the traits related to germination parameters, seedling characteristics, and seed biomass, as well as the chlorophyll content under both control and drought treatments. Evaluating wheat accessions response to seed priming, including hydropriming and nanopriming using 50 ppm AgNPs. Under drought stress, a highly significant increase was detected for germination-related traits, seedling, and biomass parameters in wheat seeds exposed to silver nanopriming as compared to the control treatment. Under nano-primed seed (AgNPs) conditions, root length showed a positive correlation with all traits under drought stress, suggesting a strong relationship between root length and all germination and seedling parameters resulting in wheat experiencing tolerance to water shortage conditions. Based on genome wide association study (GWAS) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) outputs, a total of 261 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were detected for all of the studied traits under both control and drought conditions. Interestingly, twenty reliable genomic regions with several hotspots of significant SNP markers were discovered inside high LD regions. Markedly, chromosome 1B showed high significant marker (Tdurum_contig11896_550) at position 581,201,755 bp. Within this region, the candidate gene TraesCS1A02G049700 encodes zinc finger-like domains superfamily that controls the variation of chlorophyll content under CHP, CUP, and DNP. The accessions carrying T allele showed higher chlorophyll content under CUP, CHP, and DNP than the accessions carrying C allele, suggesting the positive selection for accessions carrying T allele in breeding programs under drought stress conditions. The identification of these genetic factors opens new pathways for the development of wheat cultivars to withstand water scarcity.

Silver nanoparticles show promise anticancer agents, yet their clinical translation is hindered by poor bioavailability and nonspecific toxicity. In this study, we developed an apigenin-functionalized silica-coated silver oxide nanocomposite (Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin) and evaluated its anticancer activity against AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized via chemical reduction, followed by silica-coated using 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, and functionalization with apigenin under alkaline conditions. Successful synthesis and surface modification were confirmed by FTIR, FE-SEM, TEM, TGA, and complementary analyses. The nanocomposite exhibited a spherical morphology with an average size of 99.45 nm. Thermal analysis revealed high stability, with only 2.572% weight loss and structural integrity maintained up to 303 °C. MTT assays demonstrated dose-dependent cytotoxicity of Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin against AGS gastric cancer cells, with IC 50 values of 41.45 µg/mL and 34.41 µg/mL after 24 and 48 h, respectively. In addition, Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin exhibited IC 50 values of 51.73 µg/mL and 35.29 µg/mL on HT-20 colorectal cancer cells after 24 and 48 h, respectively. Similarly, the IC 50 values were 38.84 µg/mL and 16.733 µg/mL against U87 glioblastoma cancer cell after 24 and 48 h, respectively. In contrast, both apigenin powder and Ag 2 O@SP nanocomposites reduced cancer cell viability to a significantly greater extent than did the Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin composite. Wound-healing assays indicated that Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin inhibited AGS cell migration by 42.99%±17.38% after 24 h. Q-RT-PCR analysis revealed downregulation of miR-181a (0.36 ± 0.03 fold), along with upregulation of its potential targets, including the apoptotic genes APAF1 (2.15 ± 0.09 fold), P53 (1.71 ± 0.04 fold), and CASP9 (1.55 ± 0.23 fold), in treated AGS cells. Additionally, downregulation of tumor-suppressive miR-34a was observed, accompanied by downregulation of its target genes involved in cell migration including MMP9 (0.16 ± 0.04 fold), CTNNB1 (0.27 ± 0.08 fold), and EGFR (0.08 ± 0.01 fold) genes was observed in AGS treated cells. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking studies predicted that apigenin effectively interacts with the active sites of key proteins involved in cell proliferation and migration (EGFR, β-catenin, APAF1, MMP2, and MMP9), highlighting the important contribution of apigenin to the anticancer potential of Ag 2 O@SP@Apigenin. Collectively, these results indicate that apigenin functionalization combined with a protective silica coating yields a silver-based nanocomposite with improved physicochemical stability and multi-target anticancer effects in vitro. The findings are limited to in vitro and computational analyses. This integrated mechanism supports further investigation of the nanocomposite as a potential therapeutic for gastric cancer.

Biofouling is a global issue in aquaculture industries. It adversely affects marine infrastructure (ship’s hulls, mariculture cages and nets, underwater pipes and filters, building materials, probes, and sensor devices). The estimated cost of managing marine biofouling accounts for 5–10% of production cost. Non-toxic foul-release coating and biocide-based coating are the two current approaches. Recent innovation and development of a surface coating with nanoparticles such as photocatalytic zinc oxide nanocoating on fishing nets, copper oxide nanocoating on the water-cooling system, and silver nanoparticle coating to inhibit microalgal adhesion on submerged surfaces under natural light (photoperiod) could present meaningful anti-biofouling application. Nanocoating of zinc, copper, and silver oxide is an environmentally friendly surface coating strategy that avoid surface adhesion of bacteria, diatoms, algal, protozoans, and fungal species. Such nanocoating could also provide a solution to strains tolerant to Cu, Zn, and Ag. This draft of the special issue demonstrates the anti-biofouling potential of various metal and metal oxide nanoparticle coating to combat aquaculture industry biofouling problems.

In this paper, we report oxidation time effect on highly porous silver oxide nanowires thin films fabricated using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and oxygen plasma etching method. The NW’s morphological, electrical, and optical properties were investigated under different plasma etching periods and the number of deposition cycles. The increase of plasma etching and oxidation time increases the surface roughness of the Ag NWs until it fused to form a porous thin film of silver oxide. AgNWs based thin films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy techniques. The obtained results indicate the formation of mixed mesoporous Ag 2 O and AgO NW thin films. The Ag 2 O phase of silver oxide appears after 300 s of oxidation under the same conditions, while the optical transparency of the thin film decreases as plasma etching time increases. The sheet resistance of the final film is influenced by the oxidation time and the plasma application periodicity. Graphic abstract

An electrochemical method has been developed to determine iodide in urine using an electrode modified with silver oxide microparticles–poly acrylic acid/poly vinyl alcohol (Ag 2 OMPs-PAA/PVA). Silver oxide particles were formed by electrochemical oxidation via cyclic voltammetry. The modified electrode exhibited an excellent response to iodide detection by cathodic stripping voltammetry. The fabrication and operation conditions were optimized in terms of PVA concentration, K 2 HPO 4 concentration, amount of AgMPs-PAA/PVA, number of cycles for oxide formation, electrolyte, applied potential (vs. Ag/AgCl), and time. Under the optimum conditions, iodide determination produced a linear range from 1 to 40 μM. The limit of detection was 0.3 μM. Precision was found to be within 7.4% RSD. The developed method was applied to the determination of iodide in urine samples of pregnant women with satisfying recoveries (86 ± 1 to 108 ± 1%). Graphical abstract