Bulklike Thermal Behavior of Antibacterial Ag-SiO2 Nanocomposites

Thermal and chemical (antibacterial) properties of Ag nanoparticles deposited on the surface Of SiO2 were studied to know the possibility of applying them as antibacterial materials. To prevent aggregation of Ag nanoparticles and increase their antibacterial abilities, hybrid structures of Ag-SiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by one-pot sol-gel method. The thermal behavior of Ag-SiO2 nanocomposites were investigated with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The antibacterial properties of Ag-SiO2 nanocomposites were examined with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The antibacterial property of the nanocomposites shows no significant change below Tammann temperature (e.g., 293 and 573 K), however, it was decreased upon increasing the temperature above Tammann temperature (673 - 1073 K) because of the growth of Ag nanoparticles deposited on the surface of SiO2.