Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles and Coating with Chitosan

Recent advancements in nanotechnology have garnered increasing attention due to the improvements in producing and utilizing particles whose sizes are extremely small. There is particular interest in metal nanoparticles due to their distinctive properties. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have been of particular interest owing to their unique electrical, optical and physicochemical properties as well as their biomedical applications. Ag-NPs are the fastest growing class of nanoscale materials because of their antibacterial activities. They are now considered to be the next generation antimicrobials. Today, owing to their disinfectant properties, Ag-NPs are extensively used in numerous consumer products, including disinfecting medical devices and home appliances, paints, optical devices, plastics, textiles, soaps and laundry detergents, cosmetics, health-care products, as well as in food packing and food products as preservative and anti-caking agents. Despite their widespread usage, the products containing Ag-NP additives are a serious environmental and human health concern because of their toxicity. Studies on cell and bacterial cultures have shown that Ag-NPs are toxic; and the toxic effects are mainly due to the dissolved Ag ions when Ag-NPs degrade in water. In this study, considering the criteria outlined above, the purpose of the study and Ag-NPs were chemically synthesized in the laboratory environment and modified as chitosan coating. UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the silver nanoparticles.