Tuning the Morphological, Optical, and Antimicrobial Properties of α-Ag₂WO₄ Microcrystals Using Different Solvents

Abstract

New, effective antimicrobial agents are constantly being evaluated for addressing the increased prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections and emerging drug resistance. In this study, α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals were prepared by controlled coprecipitation (90 °C for 10 min) in different solvents (e.g., water, an alcoholic solution, and an ammoniacal solution). From the X-ray diffraction results, the newly synthesized α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals are well-indexed to the orthorhombic structure. Two morphologies were seen by field-emission scanning electron microscopy: microrods in the alcoholic solution and flowerlike structures in water and the ammoniacal solution. The synthesized α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals exhibited antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the antibacterial performance of the α-Ag2WO4 samples as a function of their structural and morphological features was discussed.