The Unique Antimicrobial Effects of Trimolybdate Nanowires

Abstract

Trimolybdate nanowires are good candidates for antibacterial applications. We performed systematic experiments to show the antibacterial effects of these nanowires, in particular, K2Mo3O10•3H2O nanowires and Ag-doped trimolybdate nanowires Ag2-x(NH4)xMo3O10•3H2O. A unique phenomenon was observed in the experiments using K2Mo3O10•3H2O nanowires as the antibacterial agent, which made the Cuyitococcus Neofonmans cells grow larger but inhibited their ability in reproduction. The Ag-doped nanowires could sufficiently eliminate the growth of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. We also demonstrated that by using this contact mechanism, certain bacteria could be used as onsite micro-sensors for detecting the occurrence of Ag-doped nanowires diffused through porous media.