Three-Dimensional Printing of Ag Nanoparticle Meshes for Antibacterial Activity

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are decorated or encapsulated for use in antibacterial applications; however, their synthesis involves complex chemical processes. In this study, we developed a facile process for printing an Ag NP 3D microstructure to be applied as an antibacterial filter. The Ag NPs were printed in a mesh form using an aerodynamically focused nanomaterial (AFN) printing system. Unlike the conventional printing method, in the proposed method, the printed Ag NP mesh was peeled from a polydimethylsiloxane substrate. To examine this printing and peeling mechanism, molecular dynamics simulations were performed. In addition, characteristics of the Ag NP mesh were analyzed. The results of the analysis confirmed that the printed mesh retained the properties of Ag NPs. Meshes with various sizes and porosities were printed and their performance as an antibacterial filter was evaluated. Finally, a straw-shaped prototype water filter with three mesh layers was fabricated. A plate cultivated from a suspension filtered using this prototype contained zero active bacteria. This result indicates that the proposed Ag NP 3D printing process, which allows the preservation of antibacterial properties and has wide application scope, is an extensively viable process for manufacturing antibacterial microstructures.