Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference

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Sol-gel Synthesis of Silver-doped Silica-titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites as Potential Antimicrobial and Photocatalytic Thin Film

Undergraduate #262
Discipline: Nanoscience
Subcategory: Materials Science

Brianna Griffin - Virginia State University

The aim of this project was to fabricate and characterize nanocomposite (Ag-SiO2- TiO2) thin films and to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of the bioactive hybrid. The goal is to develop new nanomaterials with improved antibacterial properties for possible applications as inexpensive food packaging or coating for medical devices. Two metal/metal oxide-based films, SOL-S-A and SOL-S-C were prepared by the sol-gel method. The thin films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Ultra VioletVisible (UV-Vis) techniques. Based on the above spectroscopy analysis, the thin films could be considered as good candidates for the development of antibacterial biodegradable and photocatalytic nanocomposites. Such bioactive and relatively cost-effective nanomaterials have the potential to address some major challenges of food safety, food security and environmental risks/impact.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP)

Faculty Advisor: Godwin Mbagwu,

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.