Mechanisms of antibacterial activity and stability of silver nanoparticles grown on magnetron sputtered TiO2 coatings

Nanomaterials with high stability and efficient antibacterial activity are of considerable interest. The preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on titania coatings and their effective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 were reported. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings with AgNPs were prepared on Si wafers using the reactive magnetron sputtering method. The surface topography of AgNPs/TiO2 coatings imaged using scanning electron microscopy revealed that the size and surface density of AgNPs grown by the photoreduction of silver ions were dependent on the concentration of AgNO3 in the primary solution and the time of TiO2 exposure to UV illumination. Evaluation of the antimicrobial properties and surface analysis before and after the biological test of AgNPs/TiO2 coatings indicates their high antimicrobial stability and durability. Furthermore, the interdependence between the concentration of released silver and bacterial growth inhibition was demonstrated. In addition, direct contact killing and released silver-mediated killing have been proposed as a bactericidal mechanism of action of tested coatings with AgNPs.