Synthesis of Ag-TiO2 composite nano thin film for antimicrobial application

TiO2 photocatalysts have been found to kill cancer cells, bacteria and viruses under mild UV illumination, which offers numerous potential applications. On the other hand, Ag has long been proved as a good antibacterial material as well. The advantage of Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite is to expand the nanomaterial's antibacterial function to a broader range of working conditions. In this study neat TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 composite nanofilms were successfully prepared on silicon wafer via the sol-gel method by the spin-coating technique. The as-prepared composite Ag-TiO2 and TiO2 films with different silver content were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the topologies, microstructures and chemical compositions, respectively. It was found that the silver nanoparticles were uniformly distributed and strongly attached to the mesoporous TiO2 matrix. The morphology of the composite film could be controlled by simply tuning the molar ratio of the silver nitrate aqueous solution. XPS results confirmed that the Ag was in the Ag(0) state. The antimicrobial effect of the synthesized nanofilms was carried out against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 29425) by using an 8 W UV lamp with a constant relative intensity of 0.6 mW cm(-2) and in the dark respectively. The synthesized Ag-TiO2 thin films showed enhanced bactericidal activities compared to the neat TiO2 nanofilm both in the dark and under UV illumination.     

Green synthesis of nanosilver‐decorated graphene oxide sheets

A green facile method has been successfully used for the synthesis of graphene oxide sheets decorated with silver nanoparticles (rGO/AgNPs), employing graphite oxide as a precursor of graphene oxide (GO), AgNO₃ as a precursor of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), and geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) extract as reducing agent. Synthesis was accomplished using the weight ratios 1:1 and 1:3 GO/Ag, respectively. The synthesised nanocomposites were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, UV‐visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The results show a more uniform and homogeneous distribution of AgNPs on the surface of the GO sheets with the weight ratio 1:1 in comparison with the ratio 1:3. This eco‐friendly method provides a rGO/AgNPs nanocomposite with promising applications, such as surface enhanced Raman scattering, catalysis, biomedical material and antibacterial agent.Inspec keywords: silver, nanoparticles, graphene, nanocomposites, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, ultraviolet spectra, visible spectra, X‐ray chemical analysis, surface enhanced Raman scattering, catalysis, nanofabricationOther keywords: antibacterial agent, biomedical material, catalysis, surface enhanced Raman scattering, rGO‐AgNP nanocomposite, eco‐friendly method, homogeneous distribution, thermogravimetric analysis, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV‐visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanocomposites, reducing agent, geranium, graphene oxide sheets, graphite oxide, silver nanoparticles, green facile method     

铜掺杂纳米二氧化钛颗粒的相变研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备铜掺杂的纳米二氧化钛颗粒。应用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、扫描透射电子显微镜(STEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)技术对纳米二氧化钛颗粒的物相组成、平均晶粒尺寸、微观结构、化学态及光吸收性能进行表征。结果表明:Cu掺杂抑制TiO_2的相变,在650℃时Cu的氧化物CuO在TiO_2颗粒表面出现,掺杂的Cu离子以Cu^+的形式存在。掺杂Cu的TiO_2光吸收带边显著红移,随着Cu掺杂量的提高,样品光吸收度提高,随着温度的升高,样品紫外-可见光光谱吸收带边红移。     

In situ prepared polypyrrole–Ag nanocomposites: optical properties and morphology

Polypyrrole–silver (PPy–Ag) nanocomposites with various silver contents have been synthesized via a kinetically favorable one-step chemical oxidative polymerization process. The oxidant, ammonium persulfate, was used to oxidize pyrrole monomer for growing chains of PPy. And AgNO₃ was used as a precursor for metallic silver nanoparticles. The detailed characterization techniques, UV–Vis–NIR, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), have been used to reveal electronic environment, structure, and morphology of composites as well as as-synthesized PPy. The synthesis environment prior to polymerization has also been investigated by absorption spectroscopy. The TEM images of PPy–Ag nanocomposites reveal that silver nanoparticles are deeply embedded into the polymer matrix in addition to surface adsorption. It is observed that the size distribution of inorganic nanoparticles (ca. 4–10 nm, depending on the metal ion concentrations) as well as structural morphology is altered by the initial concentrations of silver ions.     

A facile method to prepare size-tunable silver nanoparticles and its antibacterial mechanism

The antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles (denoted as Ag NPs) is closely related to size. This could partly explain why size controllable synthesis of Ag NPs for bactericidal application is drawing much attention. Thus, we establish a facile and mild route to prepare size-tunable Ag NPs with highly uniform morphologies and narrow size distributions. The as-prepared Ag NPs with averaged sizes of 2, 12 and 32?nm were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The antimicrobial effect of the as-prepared Ag NPs with different particles size was assessed by broth dilution and disk diffusion as well as measurement of optical density (OD₆₀₀). Moreover, their antibacterial mechanism was discussed in relation to morphology observation of microorganism by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and to concentration detection of Ag⁺ by stripping voltammetry. It was found that the parameters such as reactant molar ratio, reaction time, dropping speed, and most of all, pH of the reactant solutions, have significant influences on size-regulation of Ag NPs. The as-prepared Ag NPs exhibit excellent antibacterial properties, and their antimicrobial activities increase with decreasing particles size. Besides, two kinds of mechanisms, i.e., contact action and release of Ag⁺, are responsible for the antimicrobial effect of Ag NPs.     

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials based on polyaniline/TiO(2) nanocomposites for ascorbic acid fuel cell systems

Polyaniline was grafted onto a mixture of rutile and anatase TiO(2) nanoparticles by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization. These nanocomposites were characterized by carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen (CHN) analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. FTIR and UV-vis confirm the formation of polyaniline on TiO(2) nanoparticles. The TEM shows that the composites consist of PANI and TiO(2) nanoparticles. Compared to the neat polyaniline, PANI/TiO(2) composites show a higher capacitance and also a higher activity per mass of polyaniline. Since the PANI/TiO(2) composites are stable during the electrooxidation of ascorbic acid, they can be used as an alternative catalyst for direct ascorbic acid fuel cells.     

Nickel oxide/polypyrrole/silver nanocomposites with core/shell/shell structure: Synthesis,characterization and their electrochemical behaviour with antimicrobial activities

Magnetic and conducting Nickel oxide–polypyrrole (NiO/PPy) nanoparticles with core–shell structure were prepared in the presence of Nickel oxide (NiO) in aqueous solution containing sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) as a surfactant as well as dopant. A stable dispersion of silver (Ag) nanoparticles was synthesized by chemical (citrate reduction) method. NiO/PPy nanocomposites were added to the Ag colloid under stirring. Ag nanoparticles could be electrostatically attracted on the surface of NiO/PPy nanocomposites, leading to formation of NiO/PPy/Ag nanocomposites with core/shell/shell structure. The morphology, structure, particle size and composition of the products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and current–voltage (I–V) analysis. The resultant nanocomposites have the good conductivity and excellent electrochemical and catalytic properties of PPy and Ag nanoparticles. Furthermore, the nanocomposites showed excellent antibacterial behaviour due to the presence of Ag nanoparticles in the composite. The thermal stability of NiO–PPy as well as NiO/PPy/Ag nanocomposites was higher than that of pristine PPy. Studies of IR spectra suggest that the increased thermal stability may be due to interactions between NiO and Ag nanoparticles with the PPy backbone.     

Large-scale fabrication of Ag nanoparticles in PVP nanofibres and net-like silver nanofibre films by electrospinning

Heat treatment of various compositions of AgNO(3)-doped polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) composite nanofibres fabricated by electrospinning produced two kinds of silver species: (i) Ag nanoparticles dispersed in PVP nanofibres, when the loading of AgNO(3) was 5?wt%, and (ii)?a net-like silver nanofibre film when the loading of AgNO(3) was five times greater than that of PVP in the composite nanofibres. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, FT-IR spectra, powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the silver nanoparticles and nanofibres. The formation mechanisms are discussed based on the redox reaction between AgNO(3) and PVP during heat treatment; essentially, the weight ratios of AgNO(3) to PVP determined the types of morphologies, from Ag nanoparticles to silver nanofibre film. The present results may find some potential application in the design of new composite materials in the dielectric and electronics areas.     

Transmission electron microscopy for elucidating the impact of silver-based treatments (ionic silver versus nanosilver-containing coating) on the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

After exposure to ionic silver or nanosilver-containing plasma coating, the same visual aspect of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images was observed for the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The main common feature was the presence of electron-dense nodules all over the cell. However, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), STEM, energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis spectroscopy (EDS) and electron microdiffraction revealed some striking differences. Regarding ionic silver exposure, the formation of electron-dense nodules was related to the Ag(+) reactivity towards sulfur-containing compounds to form clusters with Ag(2)S-like structures, together with the production of a few silver nanocrystals, mainly at the cell wall periphery. For nanosilver-based treatment, some sulfur-containing silver clusters preferentially located at the cell wall periphery were detected, together with nodules composed of silver, sulfur and phosphorus all over the cell. In both silver-based treatments, nitrogen and silver signals overlapped, confirming the affinity of silver entities for proteinaceous compounds. Moreover, in the case of nanosilver, interactions of silver with phosphorus-containing subcellular structures were indicated.     

Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of anisotropic Ag nanoparticles by solid state transformation

Anisotropic silver nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized rapidly using microwave irradiation by the decomposition of silver oxalate in a glycol medium using polyvinyl pyrolidone (PVP) as the capping agent. The obtained Ag nanoparticles have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) studies. Anisotropic Ag nanoparticles of average size around 30?nm have been observed in the case of microwave irradiation for 75?s whereas spherical particles of a size around 5-6?nm are formed for 60?s of irradiation. The texture coefficient and particle size calculated from XRD patterns of anisotropic nanoparticles reveal the preferential orientation of (111) facets in the Ag sample. Ethylene glycol is found to be a more suitable medium than diethylene glycol. A plausible mechanism has been proposed for the formation of anisotropic Ag nanoparticles from silver oxalate.     

Silver/dendrimer nanocomposites as biomarkers: fabrication, characterization, in vitro toxicity, and intracellular detection

We have synthesized water-soluble, biocompatible, fluorescent, and stable silver/dendrimer nanocomposites that exhibit a potential for in vitro cell labeling. Amino-, hydroxyl-, and carboxyl-terminated ethylenediamine core generation 5 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers were utilized to prepare aqueous silver(I)-dendrimer complexes (with the molar ratio of 25 Ag+ per dendrimer) at the biologic pH of 7.4. Conversion of silver(I)-dendrimer complexes into dendrimer nanocomposites was achieved by irradiating the solutions with UV light to reduce the bound Ag+ cations to zerovalent Ag0 atoms, which were simultaneously trapped in the dendrimer network, resulting in the formation of {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NH2}, {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NGly}, and {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NSAH} dendrimer nanocomposites (DNC), respectively. The silver-DNCs were characterized by means of UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light-scattering, zeta potential measurements, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. The cytotoxicity of dendrimers and related silver nanocomposites was evaluated using an XTT colorimetric assay of cellular viability. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was examined by transmission electron and confocal microscopy. Results indicate that {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NH2}, {(Ag0-)25-PAMAM_E5.NGly}, and {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NSAH} form primarily single particles with diameters between 3 and 7 nm. The dendrimer nanocomposites are fluorescent, and their surface charge, cellular internalization, toxicity, and cell labeling capabilities are determined by the surface functionalities of dendrimer templates. The {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NH2} and {(Ag0)25-PAMAM_E5.NSAH} nanocomposites exhibit potential application as cell biomarkers.     

TiO2 nanoparticles co-doped with silver and nitrogen for antibacterial application

We have prepared a series of TiO2 nanoparticles for antibacterial applications. These TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by the hydrolysis precipitation method with Ti(OBu)4, silver nitrate and ammonia. Crystal structure, particle size, interfacial structure and UV-visible light response of the prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRs). The XRD spectra showed that all samples were anatase structure calcined at 450 degrees C for 3 hours. The Ag doping made the peak of diffraction wider. The results of TEM showed that the nanoparticles of TiO2, N-TiO2 and 1% Ag-N-TiO2 were all spherical in shape and well distributed with a mean size of 19.8 nm, 39.2 nm and 20.7 nm, respectively. N doping caused the nanoparticle size to increase, while, when the doped amount of Ag+ increased, the TiO2 particle size decreased. The FTIR revealed that Ag and N doping of TiO2 appeared to have strong absorption by -OH group and showed the characteristic absorption band of NH4+ and Ag. The UV-Vis-DRs indicated that the absorption band of Ag-N co-doped TiO2 had red shift and that the optical absorption response (between 400 nm and 700 nm) had obvious enhancement. The antibacterial properties of nanoparticles were investigated by agar diffusion method toward Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The results indicated that both Ag- and N-doped TiO2 could increase the antibacterial properties of TiO2 nanoparticles under fluorescent light irradiation. A 1% Ag-N-TiO2 had the highest antibacterial activity with a clear antibacterial circle of 33.0 mm toward Escherichia coli and 22.8 mm toward Bacillus subtilis after cultivation for 24 hours.     

Silver sulfide nanoparticle assembly obtained by reacting an assembled silver nanoparticle template with hydrogen sulfide gas

A fast, simple procedure is described for obtaining an assembly of silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag(2)S NPs) on a glass substrate through reaction of a template of an assembled layer of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) gas. The Ag NP template was prepared by assembling a monolayer of spherical Ag NPs (mean diameter of 7.4?nm) on a polyethylenimine-treated glass substrate. Exposure to pure H(2)S for 10?min converted the Ag NPs of the template to Ag(2)S NPs. The resulting Ag(2)S NP assembly, which retains the template nanostructure and particle distribution, was characterized by optical absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning high resolution TEM, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Ag(2)S NPs have a crystal structure of monoclinic acanthite, and while they retained the spherical shape of the original Ag NPs, their mean particle size increased to 8.4?nm due to changes to the crystal structure when the Ag NPs are converted into Ag(2)S NPs. The measured optical absorption edge of the Ag(2)S NP assembly indicated an indirect interband transition with a band gap energy of 1.71?eV. The Ag(2)S NP assembly absorbed light with wavelengths below 725?nm, and the absorbance increased monotonically toward the UV region.     

Ag掺杂APS改性的TiO2颗粒的制备及其光催化降解作用

为提高Ag/TiO2纳米颗粒的光催化降解作用,采用聚合凝胶工艺路线,以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体,硝酸银为银源,通过向反应体系引入鳌合剂醋酸、表面改性剂γ-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APS)以及还原剂甲醛等添加剂,制备出TiO2粉体及Ag/TiO2纳米复合粉体。利用FT-IR、XRD、TG-DTA、TEM和UV-Vis-NIR等手段对样品进行表征。结果表明,经γ-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷改性的TiO2颗粒掺Ag后分散性得到改善,粒径约1 nm的Ag颗粒较均匀地分布在10～15 nm TiO2颗粒上;可见光的利用和锐钛矿热稳定性都得到提高;Ag/TiO2纳米颗粒在光照下对甲基橙具有良好的光催化降解效果。     

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Glaucium corniculatum (L.) Curtis extract and evaluation of its antibacterial activity

The metal nanoparticles, due to interesting features such as electrical, optical, chemical and magnetic properties, have been investigated repeatedly. Also, the mentioned nanoparticles have specific uses in terms of their antibacterial activity. The biosynthesis method is more appropriate than the chemical method for producing the nanoparticles because it does not need any special facilities; it is also economically affordable. In the current study, the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained by using a very simple and low‐cost method via Glaucium corniculatum (L.) Curtis plant extract. The characteristics of the AgNPs were investigated using techniques including: X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The SEM and TEM images showed that the nanoparticles had a spherical shape, and the mean diameter of them was 53.7 and 45 nm, respectively. The results of the disc diffusion test used for measuring the anti‐bacterial activity of the synthesised nanoparticles indicated that the formed nanoparticles possessed a suitable anti‐bacterial activity.Inspec keywords: silver, nanoparticles, antibacterial activity, nanomedicine, nanofabrication, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectraOther keywords: green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, Glaucium corniculatum Curtis extract, antibacterial activity, metal nanoparticles, biosynthesis method, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, spherical shape, disc diffusion test, Ag     

Facile synthesis and application of Ag-chemically converted graphene nanocomposite

An in situ chemical synthesis approach has been employed to prepare an Ag-chemically converted graphene (CCG) nanocomposite. The reduction of graphene oxide sheets was accompanied by generation of Ag nanoparticles. The structure and composition of the nanocomposites were confirmed by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction. TEM and AFM results suggest a homogeneous distribution of Ag nanoparticles (5–10 nm in size) on CCG sheets. The intensities of the Raman signals of CCG in such nanocomposites are greatly increased by the attached silver nanoparticles, i.e., there is surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity. In addition, it was found that the antibacterial activity of free Ag nanoparticles is retained in the nanocomposites, which suggests they can be used as graphene-based biomaterials.      

Facile synthesis of Ag nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs with favorable stability and their bactericidal properties

Stable Ag nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been successfully synthesized by calcinations of the complexes of Ag cation and acid-treated MWCNTs under sparging N(2). The nanocomposites are characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that Ag nanoparticles are relatively homogeneously dispersed on the surface of MWCNTs. The bactericidal properties of Ag/MWCNT nanocomposites are investigated with disk diffusion assay on the suspension samples inoculated with Escherichia coli. The results show that Ag/MWCNTs-500 nanocomposites possess excellent bactericidal property because of their suitable particle size (15 nm). Moreover, Ag nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs are very stable for half a year. What is more, the bactericidal effect was enhanced obviously under solar irradiation. This is because MWCNTs can absorb near-infrared light to kill parts of bacteria. A possible formation mechanism is also proposed in this article.     

Stoichiometry of alloy nanoparticles from laser ablation of PtIr in acetone and their electrophoretic deposition on PtIr electrodes

Charged Pt-Ir alloy nanoparticles are generated through femtosecond laser ablation of a Pt?Ir target in acetone without using chemical precursors or stabilizing agents. Preservation of the target's stoichiometry in the colloidal nanoparticles is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)-EDX elemental maps, high resolution TEM and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) measurements. Results are discussed with reference to thermophysical properties and the phase diagram. The nanoparticles show a lognormal size distribution with a mean Feret particle size of 26 nm. The zeta potential of -45 mV indicates high stability of the colloid with a hydrodynamic diameter of 63 nm. The charge of the particles enables electrophoretic deposition of nanoparticles, creating nanoscale roughness on three-dimensional PtIr neural electrodes within a minute. In contrast to coating with Pt or Ir oxides, this method allows modification of the surface roughness without changing the chemical composition of PtIr.     

羧甲基纤维素钠／TiO2纳米复合物的制备与表征

用纳米TiO2为原料,以羧甲基纤维素钠(CMC-Na)为基体,采用共混法制得CMC-Na/TiO2纳米复合物。通过傅立叶红外光谱(FT-IR)、热重分析(TG)、透射电镜(TEM)等手段对该体系进行了表征。结果表明,由于纳米TiO2粒子的引入,CMC-Na分子FT-IR的某些特征峰的波数发生明显变化;纳米TiO2在复合物中的分散性较好;复合材料的热稳定性高于纯CMC-Na薄膜;此外,复合材料的力学性能有所提高。     

PMOCOPV/TiO2纳米复合材料的微观结构与性能

采用原位聚合方法制备聚(2-甲氧基-5-辛氧基)对苯乙炔(PMOCOPV)/二氧化钛(TiO2)纳米复合材料。利用扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和热失重(TG)等方法对纳米复合材料的微观结构与性能进行表征。结果显示,纳米复合材料中TiO2并不是简单地与PMOCOPV分子共混,而是被PMOCOPV分子链缠绕包裹;纳米复合材料为分散均匀的球形微粒,粒径尺寸为60nm～80nm左右;同PMOCOPV相比,纳米复合材料结晶性随着TiO2含量增加而增强,且热稳定性提高。