The use of silver as an antimicrobial agent has been known for centuries, even though the actual mechanism for its toxic nature with bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi is not yet fully understood. Its mainstream use in this capacity subsided after the advent of antibiotics until the emergence of nanotechnology. A completely new line of consumer products has been developed using nanoscale silver to offer consumers such benefits as antimicrobial protection and odor control. In this study, the commercially available socks, which are coated with nanosilver for antibacterial purpose, were examined for its antibacterial effects. These socks were washed with detergent, rinsed with DI water, and incubated with bacterial for colony forming units (CFU) counting. Two bacterial, S. aureus and K. pneumoniae, were used to evaluate the anti-bacterial properties of the socks. Before and after the above treatment, socks were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XPS. Nanosilver might be able to attach to bacterial membrane by electrostatic interaction and disrupt the integrity of its membrane. XPS results show that the binding energy of silver increased in the presence of S. aureus in comparison to K. pneumoniae, which might indicate that S. aureus are more strongly bound to the surface of silver and more likely to be killed faster than K. pneumoniae.

Nanosilver in socks: Antimicrobial activity and characterization

248th National Meeting (2014)

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