Ag+ Driven Antimicrobial Activity of Ag+:ZnO Nanowires Immobilized on Paper Matrices

Abstract The prevalence of infectious disease causing microbes in the environment is a worldwide critical concern. This is prevalent both in air and water bodies. Thus, fabricating cellulose based materials with superior antimicrobial activity is highly significant in day-to-day life. Herein, Ag/Ag+ doped zinc oxide nanowires have been immobilized on the cellulose fibers of the paper matrices using facile one step scalable autoclave technology. The incorporation of Ag+ in the ZnO lattice has indicated a synergy in the antimicrobial activity. The present work has demonstrated significant enhancement in antimicrobial activity with increased Ag+ contents at the Zn sites of the wurtzite ZnO. Within a short time period of 2 h only, the Escherichia coli (E. coli) count of the order of 108 has been deactivated under the exposure of visible light. The synthesized paper matrices have also resisted the degradation even in the presence of Gloeophyllum trabeum (G. trabeum), a cellulose eating fungus. The paper remains intact even after the incubation for 7 days, which is unprecedented. The thorough characterization of the paper matrices along with their superior antimicrobial activities makes them a potential candidate for applications in healthcare and to produce pathogen free safe drinking water using a cheap point of use system.