Silver Nanoparticles in SiO2 Microspheres – Preparation by Spray Drying and Use as Antimicrobial Agent

Silver nanoparticles embedded in SiO2 particles of micrometer size are prepared using spray drying. The spray drying is performed with a SiO2 sol (solvent water:ethanol 4 : 1) containing SiO2 and silver particles of nanometer size. During spray drying the SiO2 nanoparticles aggregate to SiO2 microspheres whereas the silver particles exhibit only a small tendency of aggregation and keep their nanometer size. However under special conditions also the formation of crystalline silver rods is observed. The antibacterial activity of the resulting Ag/SiO2 powders is determined against the bacteria Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Because of this antibacterial acitivity and the fact that the powder of SiO2 microspheres exhibits a good dispersibility, such materials have an immense potential to be used as antimicrobial additive in processes like master batch or fiber production.