Green engineered silver oxide nanoparticles doped with zirconium: A comparative analysis of structural dynamics and antibacterial effectiveness

• Eco-friendly Mentha leaf extract enabled green synthesis of Zr-doped AgO nanoparticles. • Structural analysis confirmed spherical nanoparticles averaging ∼22 nm in size. • FESEM, HRTEM, XRD, EDX, and XPS revealed crystalline and pure nanostructures. • Strong antibacterial action observed against gram-positive and gram-negative strains. • Dielectric studies showed frequency- and temperature-dependent electrical properties. Silver oxide nanoparticles infused with zirconium are synthesized through an environmentally friendly process utilizing Mentha leaf extract. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of the silver oxide based phase with purity, and the average crystallite size. Although field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed nearly spherical nanoparticles. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of Ag, Zr and O, demonstrating successful zirconium incorporation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the characteristic core levels of Ag, Zr and O, confirming the chemical states of the constituent elements in the synthesized nanoparticles. Furthermore, dielectric studies carried out in the frequency range of 4 Hz–8 MHz and at different temperatures revealed a strong frequency- and temperature-dependent dielectric response. The enhanced dielectric constant, moderate dielectric loss and tunable AC conductivity demonstrate that green-synthesized Zirconium doped silver oxide nanoparticles are multifunctional materials. The antibacterial performance of Zirconium doped silver oxide nanoparticles was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains using the agar well diffusion method. The nanoparticles demonstrated antibacterial activity that depended on concentration, showing significant inhibition at elevated levels, particularly against Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The antibacterial action is attributed to the synergistic release of Ag⁺/Zr²⁺ ions and the resulting disruption of the bacterial cell membrane.