Enhancement Of Antibacterial Properties Of A Silver Nanowire Film Via Electron Beam Irradiation

Infectious diseases and the deaths caused due to contact with germ-contaminated surfaces are severe problems worldwide. Antibacterial materials based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) have a structural advantage when addressing this issue; this is because agglomeration is minimized when nanowires are fabricated into a film. Therefore, employing AgNWs for antimicrobial applications has garnered continuous interest, and increased research for further improvements has been observed. In this study, a AgNW film was fabricated onto glass by spin-coating and then subjected to surface irradiation up to a dose of 1200 kGy, using a low-energy electron beam (e-beam). This "e-beam" irradiation changed the surface morphology and chemical composition; consequently, this improved the performance of the film. The generation of a silver oxide (Ag2O and AgO) outer layer was identified over the AgNWs by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The antibacterial test corresponding to a contact time of 1 h revealed that the e-beam irradiation increased the antibacterial activity in the log reduction from 1.2 to 1.4 for Staphylococcus aureus and from 1.5 to 3.7 for Escherichia coli. Based on the experimental results and the known antibacterial mechanisms of silver (Ag) nanospecies, we discuss the method by which the antibacterial performance of the AgNW film was improved via the e-beam irradiation. This work provides a simple and swift method to functionally enhance the AgNW antibacterial film via e-beam irradiation.