Abstract
The performance of silver/tin oxide (Ag/SnO2) nanocomposites as coating materials with high antibacterial capability is evaluated in this study. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and density functional theory (DFT) analyses were used to characterize the nanocomposite structures and confirm that Ag (1 1 1) and SnO2 (1 1 0) form nanorods of Ag/SnO2. The antibacterial properties of these materials were investigated by using an Alamar Blue Assay (ABA) absorbance method. The results indicated that toxicity to E. coli and S. aureus increased with respect to the proportion of Ag within the composite, with the highest antibacterial activity being observed at a 4:1 ratio of Ag:SnO2. Additionally, the antimicrobial properties of the composites were enhanced when particle sizes were reduced from the micro- to nanometer range. Our study demonstrates that nano-Ag/SnO2 composites are highly suitable for antibacterial coatings of glass-based materials.
