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How Silver Nanoparticles work on clothing.

Silver is well-known as an antimicrobial agent and that nanoparticles provide terrific


driving force for diffusion. With these fantastic properties that it possesses, how can
we use it as an advantage and at the same time integrate it in our daily lives to benefit
us in many ways? Engineers has built silver nanoparticles from the antibacterial
properties of silver and the applications of nanoparticles, in order to combine the
major benefits offered by the silver and nanoparticles together. Silver has been used
for the treatment of medical ailments for over 100 years due to its natural antibacterial
and anti-fungal properties. The nanosilver particles typically measure 25 nanometers.
They have extremely large relatively surface area, increasing their contact with
bacteria or fungi, and vastly improving its bactericidal and fungicidal effectiveness.
Silver nanoparticles can be assembled into many different shapes, such as spheres,
rods, cubes, wires, film, and also coatings. Nanosilver is known as one of the
nanomaterial that is having an early impact in healthcare product that has also been
implied on clothing. Moreover, silver nanoparticles can be integrated into a variety of
materials like metals, ceramics, polymers, glass, and textiles via fine spraying of
silver nanoparticle solution. This leads to over 300 commercially available products
that contain nano-silver.
Nano-textiles is an emerging and interesting application of nanotechnology. It
involves dealing with nano fibers at the atomic and molecular levels in order to tweak
their properties. This novel technology can give rise to incredible clothing such as
water-resistant and dirt-free clothes, odor-less socks, and intelligent clothes that can
perform climate control for you. Silver nanoparticles are antimicrobial in nature, and
are now widely used in sports clothing to eliminate unpleasant odors from sweat.
Athletic clothing companies have also incorporated silver nanoparticles into their
products. When strolling down a sporting goods store, we can easily identify shoes,
athletic clothing, and towels that are labeled as "antibacterial" or "odor controlling",
which usually refers to the use of silver nanoparticles in destroying odor-causing
bacteria in clothes. Many clothing manufacturers add silver nanoparticles that kill
bacteria and fungi to prevent the unpleasant odors they cause and due to the minute
size of the particles the piece of apparel stays soft and wearable. The ever-increasing

demand for sophisticated fabrics with special features and exceptional comfort drives
the need for the use of nanotechnology in this industry. More and more companies are
utilizing nanoadditives in order to enhance the surface characteristics of clothes such
as water/stain-resistance, UV-protection, wrinkle resistance, color durability, flame
retardancy, and better thermal performance.
So, how can these tiny silver nanoparticles can destroy microbial colonies and at
the same time preventing odor in our clothes? Fabrics containing engineered
nanosilver is used to kill odor causing bacteria in clothes, especially in athletic
clothing. Bacteria, approximately 1000 nanometers in size, use enzymes to metabolize
nutrients and create energy in a similar fashion as any other living organisms. They
are unicellular with only one compartment of protein, which stores all the elements of
the cell. Thus, in order to stop the exponential rate of bacterial replication, it is
necessary to disrupt the bacterial enzymes and energy metabolism.
To counter bacterial growth, the textile industry first inserts silver nanoparticles
into its products in order to allow the particles to attach to the filaments. Once the
silver nanoparticles encounter sweat from the human body or any other source of
moisture, they naturally release a low concentration of positively charged silver ions
into the moist environment that destroys bacterial cells. Silver ions disrupt the
underlying means of bacterial survival by blocking some of the bacterial enzymes
responsible for energy metabolism and electrolyte transport. The lack of enzyme
activity ultimately suffocates the bacteria. The nanosilver when in contact with
bacteria and fungus will adversely affect cellular metabolism and inhibit cell growth.
The nanosilver suppresses respiration, basal metabolism of electron transfer system,
and transport of substrate in the microbial cell membrane. The nanosilver also inhibits
multiplication and growth of those bacteria and fungi which is the cause for infection,
itchiness and even sores by disrupting their DNA backbone.
Finally, silver ions bind to the bacterial cell wall to weaken the protection and
structure of the cell, thereby creating structural imperfections within the cell's
protective layers and speeding the collapse or burst of the bacteria. Therefore, by
targeting these three areas, silver ions prevent bacteria proliferation by establishing a
defense system, slowing bacterial growth, and eventually killing them. Unlike

traditional antibiotics, which only concentrate on one of the pathways that kill
bacteria, silver ions attack microbes in three different pathways: respiration,
replication, and cell wall synthesis.

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