Nanocrystalline ZnO and AgeZnO (0.7 atom %) have been obtained by microwave synthesis and characterized
by powder X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron
micrography, UVevisible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and
impedance spectroscopy. The doped oxide exhibits surface plasmon resonance. Further, Ag-doping
reduces the average crystallite size, sharpens the band gap absorption, suppresses the blue emission and
decreases the charge transfer resistance. The microwave synthesized ZnO exhibits larger bactericidal
activity than the commercial ZnO nanoparticles and doping with Ag by microwave method improves the
antibacterial and photocatalytic activities. However, the photocatalytic activity of microwave synthesized
ZnO, to detoxify cyanide in alkaline medium, does not differ significantly from that of commercial ZnO
nanoparticles