Silver/Porous Silicon (PS) Nanocomposite Layers for Biomedical Applications

The as-deposited and thermal treated Ag nanoparticles/silicon nanocomposite layers were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and were tested from biological point of view. Ag nanoparticles on nanocrystalline Si are important for their anti-microbial properties. In very low concentrations, Ag is highly toxic to germs while relatively non-toxic to human cells. Microbes are unlikely to develop a resistance against silver, as they do against conventional and highly targeted antibiotics. The experimental results sustain the Ag/Si nanocomposite structures as anti-microbial matrix