Rapid, thermostable antimicrobial peptide-mediated synthesis gold nanoparticles as highly efficient charge trapping medium for sol-gel-derived thin film

Abstract In this study, peptide-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Ni-GNPs) was conducted via a rapid biological protocol using the thermostable antimicrobial peptide nisin. Gold ions in the reaction mixture were mixed with nisin peptides and autoclaved to form colloidal Ni-GNPs. Characterization analysis revealed that the UV–vis spectra of the GNPs showed a peak at 530 nm. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the Ni-GNPs confirmed their crystalline nature. Scanning electron images of the Ni-GNPs showed that they were spherical in shape and were uniform in size. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of peptides on the surface of spherical GNPs. The attachment of GNPs to the particles was demonstrated using circular dichroism. Ni-GNPs showed the presence of intact antimicrobial peptides on the surface of nanoparticles. The obtained Ni-GNPs were embedded as a charge storage medium in an insulator and ZnO semiconductor interface based on sol-gel-derived solution of processed thin film transistors. The fabricated device clearly exhibited hysteresis characteristics, suggesting that charge trapping occurred via the GNPs.