Silane-functionalized metal oxide nanoparticles link silver nanoparticles: a new platform for antibacterial applications

Due to the different antibacterial mechanisms of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs), and their unique physicochemical characteristics, combination of these components in a single nanoplatform provides a multifunctional nanohybrid possessing synergistic effectiveness for a broader range of bacteria, especially for those which are resistant to common antibacterial drugs. For this reason, the MO-Ag nanohybrids have attracted a growing interest in recent years and there have been admirable efforts to develop their synthesis methods, structural properties, and applications [1,2]. One of the promising conjugation methods is to employ biocompatible siloxanes to mediate the conjugation of MO with Ag nanoparticles keeping these nanocomponents stable in aqueous media. In this research, (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (3MPTMS) was used as a bifunctional linker bearing soft –SH and hard –O parts in its opposing sites of structure for the chemical conjugation of Ag to MO NPs. More importantly, this chemical coupling agent improves the biochemical properties of the resultant MO-Ag nanoconjugate.