Abstract
Abstract Sol-gel methods are widely used to prepare coatings and thin films, due to their relative technological simplicity, low cost, possibility to easily scale the coating thickness down to nanoscale layers, usage of non-toxic solvents and other advantages. Sol-gel methods may also be used to prepare antimicrobial coatings, as protection of various surfaces in locations exposed to higher concentrations of pathogens, such as medical facilities and other places with higher concentrations of people. Commonly used antimicrobial additives for sol-gel processes include metal ions or metal nanoparticles. In this study, nanodiamonds were used as an antimicrobial additive for sol-gel coatings. These nanomaterials are chemically inert, optically transparent, biocompatible, cheap and easy to both manufacture and functionalize, making them a promising and environmentally friendly material for various applications and a potentially viable alternative for other types of antimicrobial nanoadditives, which may be dangerous for the environment or toxic. The study investigated dispergation capability of nanodiamonds within sol, as well as other nanocarbon allotropes for comparison, and antimicrobial properties and cytocompatibility of sol-gel coatings with nanodiamond additive. The findings reveal that nanodiamonds have an adequate dispergation capability, improve antimicrobial activity of sol-gel coatings, synergize with antimicrobial metal ions in sol-gel coatings and don’t cause any adverse reactions on human cell cultures. Overall, this study confirmed the viability of further research of nanodiamonds as antimicrobial additives for sol-gel based coatings, as well as the possibility of their use in other types of coatings.
Published Version
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