Antibacterial cellulose paper made with silver-coated gold nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au-Ag NPs) immobilized on cellulose paper. Ag NPs are known to have strong antibacterial properties, while Au NPs are biocompatible and relatively simple to prepare. We made the Au-Ag NPs using a facile process called Ag enhancement, in which Au NPs serve as the nuclei for precipitation of a Ag coating, the thickness of which can be easily controlled by varying the ratio of the reactants. After synthesis, electron microscopy showed that the Au-Ag NPs displayed a core-shell structure, and that they could be successfully immobilized onto a cellulose membrane by heat treatment. We then investigated the antibacterial properties of this NP-coated cellulose paper against E. coli JM109. The inhibition rate, growth curve, and AATCC 100 activity test showed that cellulose paper coated with 15 nm Au-Ag NPs possessed excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli JM109. These results suggest that Au-Ag NPs immobilized on cellulose paper could be a valuable antibacterial technology for applications such as food packaging, clothing, wound dressings, and other personal care products.

Development a stacking pad design for enhancing the sensitivity of lateral flow immunoassay

“…While gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are the most common material conjugated with antibodies for colorimetric signaling purposes, one way of improving the detection sensitivity of a AuNP-based LFIA is by enhancing the readout signal with various amplification strategies. A simple and effective way of doing so involves the so-called silver enhancement technique 10 – 12 , in which AuNPs are used as nuclei under a reducing environment for the deposition of metallic silver in order to amplify electrochemical signals. Although silver enhancement is widely used to improve AuNP-based LFIA systems, the reagents are relatively unstable and highly light sensitive.…”

Biocompatibility and photo-induced antibacterial activity of lignin-stabilized noble metal nanoparticles

“…10 We have recently reported a one-pot synthesis of amoxicillin-coated gold nanoparticles that show synergistic antimicrobial activity upon light irradiation; 11 where the antimicrobial mechanism may involve the generation of localized heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon light irradiation. 12,13 The growing interest in the use of environmentally friendly capping agents, as well as, the use of sustainable resources for antimicrobial applications, 14,15 such as food packaging, 16 has led our group towards the use of non-toxic and inexpensive capping agents. 17 Here we explore the use of lignin, the second most abundant natural polymer on earth aer cellulose, as an alternative reducing and capping agent for the synthesis and stabilization of metal nanoparticles for potential applications as antimicrobial agents.…”

Multifunctional Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Rapid Capture and Detection of Pathogens

“…The development of multifunctional platforms for packaging applications is an area of growing interest. Most nanocomposites used for packaging are based on AgNPs [ 64 , 131 , 132 , 133 ] but other materials like GO [ 134 ], polyelectrolyte multilayers [ 135 ], antimicrobial polymer nanocomposites [ 136 ] and natural antimicrobial agents [ 69 ] have also been reported. Platforms carrying antimicrobial activity could be interfaced in the future with biomolecular recognition and be used to detect and control foodborne pathogens.…”