Abstract
In recent years, there has been a great interest in the synthesis of various kinds of nanostructures and their technological applications in many fields including biomedical applications. These nanostructured materials are a class of nanomaterials having dimensions varying from few nm to 100 nm. They offer many fascinating physiochemical properties at this scale as compared to their bulk such as increased surface-to-volume ratio and enhanced electrical and optical properties. They exhibit tunable properties that depend on their shape, size, and environment which further affect their functionality.
A major concern of the worldwide healthcare system is reported by alarming and emerging incidents of occurrence of drug-resistant pathogens. During past decades, it has been reported that silver nanostructures are rapidly emerging nanomaterials with the novel, challenging, and promising characteristics suitable for various applications including biomedical engineering as these nanostructures have improved physicochemical and biological properties. Silver nanostructures are one of the promising nanostructured materials for antimicrobial applications along with a wide spectrum of antibacterial properties. Moreover, the nanometer size of silver nanomaterials and their morphologies are responsible for toxicity toward bacteria and increase with increasing specific surface area of nanostructures.
This chapter reviews various silver nanostructures, their synthesis methods, particularly by the reduction of silver nitrate, and antimicrobial activities with special emphasis on their mechanism of antimicrobial actions. It includes the effects of various synthesis parameters on the morphologies of silver nanostructures along with their further antimicrobial properties.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- AgNO3:
-
Silver nitrate
- BSPP:
-
Bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine dihydrate dipotassium
- CTAB:
-
Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide
- DMF:
-
Dimethylformamide
- LSPR:
-
Localized surface plasmon resonance
- Na2S:
-
Sodium sulfide
- NaBH4:
-
Sodium borohydride
- NaHS:
-
Sodium hydrosulfide
- PVA:
-
Polyvinyl alcohol
- PVP:
-
Polyvinylpyrrolidone
References
Abou El-Nour, Kholoud MM, Eftaiha A’a, Al-Warthan A, Ammar RAA. Synthesis and applications of silver nanoparticles. Arab J Chem. 2010;3(3):135–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2010.04.008.
Agnihotri S, Mukherji S, Mukherji S. Size-controlled silver nanoparticles synthesized over the range 5–100 nm using the same protocol and their antibacterial efficacy. RSC Adv. 2014;4(8):3974–83. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA44507K.
Ahmed S, Saifullah MA, Swami BL, Ikram S. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Azadirachta indica aqueous leaf extract. J Radiat Res Appl Sci. 2016;9(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrras.2015.06.006.
Ajitha B, Ashok Kumar Reddy Y, Sreedhara Reddy P. Enhanced antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles with controlled particle size by pH variation. Powder Technol. 2015;269:110–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2014.08.049.
Ana-Alexandra S, Nuta A, Ion R-M, Bunghez R. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using plant extracts. Chemical Sciences. 2016;188 (2016). 0.18638/scieconf.2016.4.1.386
Bachenheimer L, Scherzer R, Elliott P, Stagon S, Gasparov L, Huang H. Degradation mechanism of Ag Nanorods for surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):16282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-16580-2.
Bansal V, Li V, O'Mullane AP, Bhargava SK. Shape dependent electrocatalytic behaviour of silver nanoparticles. CrystEngComm. 2010;12(12):4280–6. https://doi.org/10.1039/C0CE00215A.
Basavegowda N, Idhayadhulla A, Lee YR. Preparation of Au and Ag nanoparticles using Artemisia annua and their in vitro antibacterial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Mater Sci Eng C. 2014;43:58–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2014.06.043.
Bélteky P, Rónavári A, Igaz N, Szerencsés B, Toth I, Pfeiffer I, Kiricsi M, Kónya Z. Silver nanoparticles: aggregation behavior in biorelevant conditions and its impact on biological activity. Int J Nanomedicine. 2019;14:667–87.
Bhui DK, Bar H, Sarkar P, Sahoo GP, De SP, Misra A. Synthesis and UV–vis spectroscopic study of silver nanoparticles in aqueous SDS solution. J Mol Liq. 2009;145(1):33–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2008.11.014.
Biao L, Tan S, Zhang X, Gao J, Liu Z, Yujie F. Synthesis and characterization of proanthocyanidins-functionalized Ag nanoparticles. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2018;169:438–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.05.050.
Bindhu MR, Umadevi M. Surface plasmon resonance optical sensor and antibacterial activities of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2014;121:596–604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2013.11.019.
Burdușel A-C, Gherasim O, Grumezescu AM, Mogoantă L, Ficai A, Andronescu E. Biomedical applications of silver nanoparticles: an up-to-date overview. Nanomaterials. 2018;8(9):681.
Cakić M, Glišić S, Cvetković D, Cvetinov M, Stanojević L, Danilović B, Cakić K. Green synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles produced from Fumaria officinalis L. plant extract. Colloid J. 2018;80(6):803–13. https://doi.org/10.1134/s1061933x18070013.
Carlson C, Hussain SM, Schrand AM, Braydich-Stolle LK, Hess KL, Jones RL, Schlager JJ. Unique cellular interaction of silver nanoparticles: size-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species. J Phys Chem B. 2008;112(43):13608–19. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp712087m.
Chadha R, Maiti N, Kapoor S. Reduction and aggregation of silver ions in aqueous citrate solutions. Mater Sci Eng C. 2014;38:192–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2014.01.041.
Chatterjee T, Chatterjee BK, Majumdar D, Chakrabarti P. Antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles and the modeling of bacterial growth kinetics using a modified Gompertz model. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2015;1850(2):299–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2014.10.022.
Chekin F, Ghasemi S. Silver nanoparticles prepared in presence of ascorbic acid and gelatin, and their electrocatalytic application. Bull Mater Sci. 2014;37(6):1433–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-014-0093-3.
Chen D, Qiao X, Qiu X, Chen J, Jiang R. Convenient, rapid synthesis of silver nanocubes and nanowires via a microwave-assisted polyol method. Nanotechnology. 2009;21(2):025607. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/21/2/025607.
Dai H, Li H, Li Z, Zhao J, Yu X, Sun J, An Q. Sonication induced amorphisation in Ag nanowires. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):2114. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38863-6.
de Guzman N, Balela MDL. Growth of ultralong Ag nanowires by electroless deposition in hot ethylene glycol for flexible transparent conducting electrodes. J Nanomater. 2017;2017:14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7896094.
Fang J, Zhong C, Renwang M. The study of deposited silver particulate films by simple method for efficient SERS. Chem Phys Lett. 2005;401(1):271–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2004.11.055.
García-Barrasa J, López-de-Luzuriaga JM, Monge M. Silver nanoparticles: synthesis through chemical methods in solution and biomedical applications. Cent Eur J Chem. 2011;9(1):7–19. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11532-010-0124-x.
Gokulan K, Williams K, Khare S. Silver ion-mediated killing of a food pathogen: melting curve analysis data of silver resistance genes and growth curve data. Data Brief. 2017;11:49–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.01.002.
Gou L, Chipara M, Zaleski JM. Convenient, rapid synthesis of Ag nanowires. Chem Mater. 2007;19(7):1755–60. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm070160a.
Helmlinger J, Sengstock C, Groß-Heitfeld C, Mayer C, Schildhauer TA, Köller M, Epple M. Silver nanoparticles with different size and shape: equal cytotoxicity, but different antibacterial effects. RSC Adv. 2016;6(22):18490–501. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5RA27836H.
Hong X, Wen J, Xiong X, Yongyou H. Shape effect on the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized via a microwave-assisted method. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2016;23(5):4489–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5668-z.
Jana NR, Gearheart L, Murphy CJ. Wet chemical synthesis of silver nanorods and nanowires of controllable aspect ratio. Chem Commun. 2001;7:617–8. https://doi.org/10.1039/B100521I.
Janata E. Early stages in the growth of small silver clusters in aqueous solution. Radiat Phys Chem. 2012;81(9):1404–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2011.11.039.
Jin R, Cao YW, Mirkin CA, Kelly KL, Schatz GC, Zheng JG. Photoinduced conversion of silver nanospheres to nanoprisms. Science. 2001;294(5548):1901–3. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1066541.
Kapoor S, Gopinathan C. Reduction and aggregation of silver, copper and cadmium ions in aqueous solutions of gelatin and carboxymethyl cellulose. Radiat Phys Chem. 1998;53(2):165–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-806X(98)00012-7.
Khodashenas B, Ghorbani HR. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles with different shapes. Arab J Chem. 2015; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2014.12.014.
Kim JS, Kuk E, Yu KN, Kim J-H, Park SJ, Lee HJ, Kim SH, Park YK, Park YH, Hwang C-Y, Kim Y-K, Lee Y-S, Jeong DH, Cho M-H. Antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles. Nanomedicine. 2007;3(1):95–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2006.12.001.
Kumar V, Prakash J, Singh JP, Chae KH, Swart C, Ntwaeaborwa OM, Swart HC, Dutta V. Role of silver doping on the defects related photoluminescence and antibacterial behaviour of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2017;159:191–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2017.07.071.
Le Ouay B, Stellacci F. Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles: a surface science insight. Nano Today. 2015;10(3):339–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2015.04.002.
Lee PC, Meisel D. Adsorption and surface-enhanced Raman of dyes on silver and gold sols. J Phys Chem. 1982;86(17):3391–5. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100214a025.
Liao C, Li Y, Tjong SC. Bactericidal and cytotoxic properties of silver nanoparticles. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(2):449.
Lok C-N, Ho C-M, Chen R, He Q-Y, Yu W-Y, Sun H, Tam PK-H, Chiu J-F, Che C-M. Silver nanoparticles: partial oxidation and antibacterial activities. J Biol Inorganic Chem. 2007;12(4):527–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-007-0208-z.
Malassis L, Dreyfus R, Murphy RJ, Hough LA, Donnio B, Murray CB. One-step green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles with ascorbic acid and their versatile surface post-functionalization. RSC Adv. 2016;6(39):33092–100. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA00194G.
Mandal D, Dash SK, Das B, Chattopadhyay S, Ghosh T, Das D, Roy S. Bio-fabricated silver nanoparticles preferentially targets gram positive depending on cell surface charge. Biomed Pharmacother. 2016;83:548–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2016.07.011.
Marambio-Jones C, Hoek EMV. A review of the antibacterial effects of silver nanomaterials and potential implications for human health and the environment. J Nanopart Res. 2010;12(5):1531–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-9900-y.
Monteiro DR, Gorup LF, Takamiya AS, Ruvollo-Filho AC, de Camargo ER, Barbosa DB. The growing importance of materials that prevent microbial adhesion: antimicrobial effect of medical devices containing silver. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2009;34(2):103–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2009.01.017.
Mulfinger L, Solomon SD, Bahadory M, Jeyarajasingam AV, Rutkowsky SA, Boritz C. Synthesis and study of silver nanoparticles. J Chem Educ. 2007;84(2):322. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed084p322.
Murphy CJ, Jana NR. Controlling the aspect ratio of inorganic nanorods and nanowires. Adv Mater. 2002;14(1):80–2. https://doi.org/10.1002/1521-4095(20020104)14:1<80::aid-adma80>3.0.co;2-#.
Ojha AK, Forster S, Kumar S, Vats S, Negi S, Fischer I. Synthesis of well-dispersed silver nanorods of different aspect ratios and their antimicrobial properties against Gram positive and negative bacterial strains. J Nanobiotechnol. 2013;11:42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-3155-11-42.
Okafor F, Janen A, Kukhtareva T, Edwards V, Curley M. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles, their characterization, application and antibacterial activity. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(10):5221–38. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10105221.
Pal S, Tak YK, Song JM. Does the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles depend on the shape of the nanoparticle? A study of the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007;73(6):1712–20. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02218-06.
Panáček A, Kvítek L, Prucek R, Kolář M, Večeřová R, Pizúrová N, Sharma VK, Nevěčná T‘j, Zbořil R. Silver colloid nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and their antibacterial activity. J Phys Chem B. 2006;110(33):16248–53. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp063826h.
Panda SK, Chakraborti S, Basu RN. Size and shape dependences of the colloidal silver nanoparticles on the light sources in photo-mediated citrate reduction technique. Bull Mater Sci. 2018;41(4):90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-018-1609-z.
Pastoriza-Santos I, Liz-Marzán LM. Formation and stabilization of silver nanoparticles through reduction by N,N-dimethylformamide. Langmuir. 1999;15(4):948–51. https://doi.org/10.1021/la980984u.
Pastoriza-Santos I, Liz-Marzán LM. Formation of PVP-protected metal nanoparticles in DMF. Langmuir. 2002;18(7):2888–94. https://doi.org/10.1021/la015578g.
Prakash J, Promod K, Harris RA, Chantel S, Neethling JH, Janse van Vuuren A, Swart HC. Synthesis, characterization and multifunctional properties of plasmonic Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites. Nanotechnology. 2016;27(35):355707. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/35/355707.
Prakash J, Sun S, Swart HC, Gupta RK. Noble metals-TiO2 nanocomposites: from fundamental mechanisms to photocatalysis, surface enhanced Raman scattering and antibacterial applications. Appl Mater Today. 2018;11:82–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2018.02.002.
Qin Y, Ji X, Jing J, Liu H, Wu H, Yang W. Size control over spherical silver nanoparticles by ascorbic acid reduction. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp. 2010;372(1):172–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2010.10.013.
Ren J, Wang W, Sun S, Zhang L, Lu W, Chang J. Crystallography facet-dependent antibacterial activity: the case of Cu2O. Ind Eng Chem Res. 2011;50(17):10366–9. https://doi.org/10.1021/ie2005466.
Rojas-Andrade M, Cho AT, Hu P, Lee SJ, Deming CP, Sweeney SW, Saltikov C, Chen S. Enhanced antimicrobial activity with faceted silver nanostructures. J Mater Sci. 2015;50(7):2849–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-8847-x.
Roy A, Bulut O, Some S, Mandal AK, Deniz Yilmaz M. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles: biomolecule-nanoparticle organizations targeting antimicrobial activity. RSC Adv. 2019;9(5):2673–702. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8RA08982E.
Schneider S, Halbig P, Grau H, Nickel U. Reproducible preparation of silver sols with uniform particle size for application in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Photochem Photobiol. 1994;60(6):605–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-1097.1994.tb05156.x.
Schuette WM, Buhro WE. Silver chloride as a heterogeneous nucleant for the growth of silver nanowires. ACS Nano. 2013;7(5):3844–53. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn400414h.
Shaheen MNF, El-hadedy DE, Ali ZI. Medical and microbial applications of controlled shape of silver nanoparticles prepared by ionizing radiation. BioNanoScience. 2019;9(2):414–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12668-019-00622-2.
Shankar SS, Rai A, Ahmad A, Sastry M. Rapid synthesis of Au, Ag, and bimetallic Au core–Ag shell nanoparticles using Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf broth. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2004;275(2):496–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2004.03.003.
Siekkinen AR, McLellan JM, Chen J, Xia Y. Rapid synthesis of small silver nanocubes by mediating polyol reduction with a trace amount of sodium sulfide or sodium hydrosulfide. Chem Phys Lett. 2006;432(4):491–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2006.10.095.
Sun Y, Xia Y. Shape-controlled synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles. Science (New York, NY). 2003;298:2176–9. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1077229.
Sun Y, Yin Y, Mayers BT, Herricks T, Xia Y. Uniform silver nanowires synthesis by reducing AgNO3 with ethylene glycol in the presence of seeds and poly(vinyl Pyrrolidone). Chem Mater. 2002;14(11):4736–45. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm020587b.
Suresh AK, Pelletier DA, Doktycz MJ. Relating nanomaterial properties and microbial toxicity. Nanoscale. 2013;5(2):463–74. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2NR32447D.
Tang S, Zheng J. Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles: structural effects. Adv Healthcare Mater. 2018;7(13):1701503. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201701503.
Tian X-D, Lin Y, Dong J-C, Zhang Y-J, Wu S-R, Liu S-Y, Zhang Y, Li J-F, Tian Z-Q. Synthesis of Ag nanorods with highly tunable plasmonics toward optimal surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates self-assembled at interfaces. Adv Optical Mater. 2017;5(21):1700581. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201700581.
Turkevich J, Stevenson PC, Hillier J. A study of the nucleation and growth processes in the synthesis of colloidal gold. Discuss Faraday Soc. 1951;11(0):55–75. https://doi.org/10.1039/DF9511100055.
Ur Rashid M, Bhuiyan MK, Emran QM. Synthesis of silver nano particles (Ag-NPs) and their uses for quantitative analysis of vitamin C tablets. Dhaka Univ J Pharm Sci. 2013;12:29–33.
Van Dong P, Ha CH, Binh LT, Kasbohm J. Chemical synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel-shaped silver nanoparticles. Int Nano Lett. 2012;2(1):9. https://doi.org/10.1186/2228-5326-2-9.
Vukoje I, Lazić V, Vodnik V, Mitrić M, Jokic B, Ahrenkiel SP, Nedeljković J, Radetić M. The influence of triangular silver nanoplates on antimicrobial activity and color of cotton fabrics pretreated with chitosan. J Mater Sci. 2014;49:4453–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8142-2.
Wang C, Liu B, Dou X. Silver nanotriangles-loaded filter paper for ultrasensitive SERS detection application benefited by interspacing of sharp edges. Sensors Actuators B Chem. 2016;231:357–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2016.03.030.
Wei QS, Ji J, JinHong F, Shen JC. Norvancomycin-capped silver nanoparticles: synthesis and antibacterial activities against E. coli. Sci Chn Ser B Chem. 2007;50(3):418–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-007-0028-6.
Wu C, Xue Z, Wei J. Localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanotriangles synthesized by a versatile solution reaction. Nanoscale Res Lett. 2015;10(1):354. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-015-1058-1.
Wuithschick M, Paul B, Bienert R, Sarfraz A, Vainio U, Sztucki M, Kraehnert R, Strasser P, Rademann K, Emmerling F, Polte J. Size-controlled synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticles based on mechanistic understanding. Chem Mater. 2013;25(23):4679–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm401851g.
Zhang Q, Li W, Wen L-P, Chen J, Xia Y. Facile synthesis of Ag nanocubes of 30 to 70 nm in edge length with CF3COOAg as a precursor. Chem Eur J. 2010;16(33):10234–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201000341.
Zhang Z, Shen W, Xue J, Liu Y, Liu Y, Yan P, Liu J, Tang J. Recent advances in synthetic methods and applications of silver nanostructures. Nanoscale Res Lett. 2018;13(1):54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-018-2450-4.
Zielińska A, Skwarek E, Zaleska A, Gazda M, Hupka J. Preparation of silver nanoparticles with controlled particle size. Proc Chem. 2009;1(2):1560–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proche.2009.11.004.
Acknowledgments
The authors (JP) acknowledge the financial supports from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, for the prestigious INSPIRE faculty award (IFA/2015/MS-57) and research grant.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pragatisheel, Prakash, J. (2020). Silver Nanostructures, Chemical Synthesis Methods, and Biomedical Applications. In: Inamuddin, Asiri, A. (eds) Applications of Nanotechnology for Green Synthesis. Nanotechnology in the Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44176-0_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44176-0_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44175-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44176-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)