Al ₂ O ₃ –Ag nanopowders: new method of synthesis, characterisation and biocidal activity

The present paper describes an innovative method of producing silver nanoparticles incorporated into an aluminium nano‐oxide substrate. The method utilises thermal decomposition and reduction, which yields an Al2O3–Ag nanopowder with the average size of particles ranging from 43 to 60 nm and the average size of agglomerates between 330 and 870 nm. The average size of the silver nanoparticles incorporated in the aluminium nano‐oxide carrier ranges from 22 to 60 nm. The Al2O3–Ag nanopowders thus produced have a largely developed surface area (above 200 m2 g−1) with a great number of open pores (above 5×10−4 m3 g−1), which gives evidence that their tendency to agglomeration is only slight and that the possible agglomerates have a loose structure. Moreover, the nanopowders show good bactericidal and fungicidal properties. The results obtained in the present experiments show that the Al2O3–Ag nanopowders produced by the proposed method can be used successfully as the raw material in the production of biocidal biomaterials.