Engineering nanostructured silver coatings for antimicrobial applications

Surface engineering based on the application of silver nanoparticles is emerging as one of the most promising in the nanotechnology field. The well-known antimicrobial activity of silver is emphasized by the high specific surface which grows inversely to the particle dimensions. In this chapter, various properties and applications of antibacterial silver coating are reviewed. In particular, an innovative deposition technology of silver nanoclusters on various natural and synthetic substrates developed by the authors is described. The deposition of strongly adhered silver nanostructures was obtained by a wet chemical method followed by a UV curing process. A very close view of the microstructure of the silver nanoclusters on the coated substrates has been obtained using advanced diagnostic tools: TEM, SEM, EDX. The strong antimicrobial capabilities of the treated substrates was evidenced with systematic antibacterial tests with Escherichia coli.