Development of Fe/Cu and Fe/Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Promising Biodegradable Materials with Antimicrobial Effect

Abstract

Fe, Cu, and Ag nanoparticles, as well as Fe/Cu and Fe/Ag bimetallic nanoparticles, have been produced via the electric explosion of wires. The average size, shape, structure, chemical composition, and zeta potential are determined for nanoparticles. The bimetallic nanoparticles have the structure of Janus nanoparticles with a boundary between two metal phases. Samples of consolidated materials are obtained via cold pressing at a pressure of 3 t/cm² from bimetallic nanoparticles and mixtures of Fe/Cu and Fe/Ag monomolecular nanoparticles. All the samples have antimicrobial properties against gram-negative cells of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain and gram-positive cells of a Staphylococcus aureus one. The dissolution rate for iron in a sodium-phosphate buffer solution of the Fe/Cu consolidated samples is significantly higher than that obtained from Fe/Ag nanoparticles and mixtures of nanoparticles.