Seed mediated growth of silver nanoplates on glass: exploiting the bimodal antibacterial effect by near IR photo-thermal action and Ag+ release

Abstract

We developed a reproducible synthetic method to grow anisotropic silver nanoplates on glass, giving them the desired plasmonic features and tuning their size and LSPR absorption with growth time. Samples were fully characterized showing good stability, a strong photo-thermal effect and the ability to release controlled quantities of silver in water. These samples showed a strong antibacterial activity, which is based on two different mechanisms: silver ion release and hyperthermia caused by the photo-thermal effect under near-infrared laser irradiation. This behaviour allows us to foresee promising in vivo applications, ensuring a long-term antibacterial protection which can be reinforced, when needed, by a fast photo-thermal action which can be switched on by a NIR laser treatment.