Facile, single-pot preparation of nanoporous SiO2 particles (carrier) with AgNPs at core and crust for controlled disinfectant release

Abstract This study demonstrates a novel, facile and one-pot approach to synthesize silica nanoparticles with silver at core and crust (SiNP-AgCC). A modified Stober method was used to make SiNP-AgCC. A significant reduction in the size of SiO 2 nanoparticles was seen, with 2–5 nm AgNPs being uniformly distributed on the surface and 10–20 nm AgNPs in the center. A typical mesoporous SiO 2 particle (SiNP) produced using the Stober method was transformed to nanoporous SiO 2 by this modified Stober method. Nanoporous SiO 2 particles with silver in the center are advantageous for slow and consistent Ag + release, which was confirmed by Ag + ion release test. Antibacterial activities of the samples were tested to evaluate the disinfection performance of the samples on gram-negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli ) using disk diffusion and the LB-agar method. SiNP-AgCC showed prolonged silver release for more than 20 days and improved antibacterial properties even after five days of incubation.