Preparation and its antibacterial properties of core-shell nanoAg@ZrO₂ composite

Monodisperse ZrO₂ sub micrometer with diameters of about 230 nm were prepared firstly via sol-gel method using zirconium tetrabutoxide as raw material. Then, ZrO₂ was treated as precursor, the Sn²⁺ ions were physically adsorbed on the surface of the ZrO₂ with the addition of a small amount of AgNO₃. The raw material seeds were loaded on the surface of the ZrO₂ via reduction of Ag⁺ to Ag⁰. With the addition of formaldehyde, core-shell nano Ag@ZrO₂ composites were synthesized. Finally, the as-prepared ZrO₂ and Ag@ZrO₂ were characterized by TEM, XRD and UV-Vis, and their antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus) and Escherichia coli(E.coli) were also studied. The results indicate that the antibacterial rates against S.aureus and E.coli of the Ag@ZrO₂ is 95.5% and 99.0%, respectively, when the Ag concentration is 0.6 mg/mL. Therefore, the Ag@ZrO₂ can be used in daily life and medical practice as ideal antibacterial material.