Characterization and Antibacterial Efficacy of Silver-Coated Ca-Na-Zn-Si/Ti Glasses

A glass series [xSiO2[-y]•0.36ZnO•0.17Na2O•0.05CaO (starting at x = 0.50, y = 0.08 TiO2)] was formulated with TiO2 substituting SiO2. Each glass/silver-coated glass was characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy. Surface area analysis revealed significant changes after silver coating, 0.43-0.95 m2/g (control), to 0.53-1.85 m2/g (AU-1), and 0.20-1.11 m2/g (AU-2). Ion release from uncoated glasses included sodium (0.08 mg/L), calcium (0.07 mg/L), and zinc (0.008 mg/L), where silver-coated glasses presented 0.42 mg/L (silver), 0.33 mg/L (sodium), 0.02 mg/L (calcium), and 0.01 mg/L (zinc). Ag-coated glasses presented inhibition zones of 7.75 mm (control) compared to 1.04 mm (AU-2). © 2011 The Author(s).