Study on the silver-copper containing chemically strengthened antimicrobial glass prepared by ion-exchange

In this work, the CuCl/KNO3 and AgCl/KNO3 mixed molten salts were selected to prepare chemically strengthened Cu containing glasses and Ag–Cu containing glasses at 460–500 °C used two-step ion-exchange method. The effects of treatment temperature on ions concentration distribution, transmittance, strengthening effect, chemical stability and ion release of samples were studied, the antimicrobial activity of samples was evaluated. The results demonstrated that K+ ions, Ag+ ions and Cu+ ions were successfully introduced onto the surface of the glass. Cu and Ag existed mainly in the form of monovalent ions, but the metal Cu or metal Ag formed when the temperature was high, making the glass appear pink or yellow, respectively. The surface compressive stress of Cu containing glasses was 508–602 MPa, and that of Ag–Cu containing glasses was 587–672 MPa, both of which showed stress relaxation at temperatures above 480 °C. The samples’ Vickers hardness rose by 4–16 %, the density and chemical stability were also improved. Ion-exchanged glass was capable of releasing Cu+ ions or Ag+ ions steadily in an aqueous environment, which had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of staphylococcus aureus with favorable antimicrobial effect. Compared with the original glass, the ion-exchanged glass prepared in our work was not only incorporated two antibacterial active ions (Ag+ ions, Cu+ ions), but also has improved mechanical properties and chemical stability.