Size-controlled spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) can be simply prepared by autoclaving mixtures of glass powder containing silver with glucose. Moreover, chitins with varying degrees of deacetylation (DDAc < 30%) and chitosan powders and sheets (DDAc > 75%) with varying surface structure properties have been evaluated as Ag NP carriers. Chitin/chitosan-Ag NP composites in powder or sheet form were prepared by mixing Ag NP suspensions with each of the chitin/chitosan-based material at pH 7.3, leading to homogenous dispersion and stable adsorption of Ag NPs onto chitin carriers with nanoscale fiber-like surface structures, and chitosan carriers with nanoscale porous surface structures. Although these chitins exhibited mild antiviral, bactericidal, and antifungal activities, chitin powders with flat/smooth film-like surface structures had limited antimicrobial activities and Ag NP adsorption. The antimicrobial activities of chitin/chitosan-Ag NP composites increased with increasing amounts of adsorbed Ag NPs, suggesting that the surface structures of chitin/chitosan carriers strongly influence adsorption of Ag NPs and antimicrobial activities. These observations indicate that chitin/chitosan-Ag NPs with nanoscale surface structures have potential as antimicrobial biomaterials and anti-infectious wound dressings.
Keywords: antimicrobial activity; chitin; chitosan; silver nanoparticles; surface structure.