Silver Nanoparticles Study for Application in Green Housing

Abstract

We report on antibacterial and antifungal properties study of silver nanoparticles in applications relating to straw bale construction. Humidity related growth of microorganisms in green constructions is of concern as it can induce health problems among the house residents and also can cause lower durability of ecologically friendly construction materials. We provide a comparative analysis of the effects of silver nanoparticles on most common house-colonizing fungi and bacteria. Outdoor tests demonstrated an efficiency of the silver nanoparticles for fighting micro-organisms. Indoor tests in petri dishes were then performed and compared with outdoor tests and the possible nature of the biocidal properties of the silver nanoparticles is probed. In contrast to the commonly reported results, we observe that antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles against common fungi in outdoor conditions show great potential in related applications.

New Methodology for the Antifungal Testing of Surfactant-Free Silver Metal Nanoparticles for Applications in Green Housing

“…The HRSTEM study showed that Ag NPs are spherical with a size distribution ranging from 2 to 10 nm, but several bigger Ag NPs of 50 nm were also observed, suggesting that the value obtained by Scherrer calculation is not misleading. Thermogravimetric analysis did not show any weight loss, confirming the absence of organic species on the surface of the Ag MNPs [9]. The antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles.…”

“…Synthesis and method. Ag MNPs were prepared by non-hydrolytic sol-gel method [22,23] using Ag acetate precursor (99%, Aldrich) and have been described in a recent paper published elsewhere [9]. The prepared Ag MNPs in ethanol solutions (10 mg/L and 40 mg/L) were poured into two vessels, which contained straw bales samples (10 g).…”

“…In addition, the low toxicity of Ag NPs against human cells has also been demonstrated [6]. Numerous studies are being conducted in order to exploit these properties viz., disinfection of medical tools, burn and wound treatment, dental materials, coatings for stainless steel materials and textile fabrics; water treatment, sunscreen lotions [7,8] and also in ecologically friendly construction as relatively harmless repellents [9].…”

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Phaseolus vulgaris L. Extracts and Investigation of their Antifungal Activities

“…According to a previous study, the antimicrobial effect of AgNPs on fungal pathogens was measured by the implementation of a typical agar well diffusion technique [70]. Consequently, the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized AgNPs utilizing different parts of the common bean (root, stem and leaf) has been thoroughly investigated.…”