Effect of Silver Nanoparticles in Silicalite-1 Zeolite on Antireflection and Antibacterial Performances

Abstract

A nano-sized zeolite has been prepared in an autoclave, using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) and H2O at various hydrothermal synthesis temperatures. Using transmission electron microscopy and particle size analysis, the size of the nano-sized powders was revealed to be 10–300 nm and its distribution was uniform and spherical, depending on the hydrothermal temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the nano-sized powder was the silicalite-1 zeolite. A coating sol could be prepared by the proper combination of these nanoparticles with a solvent. The resulting coating on the glass substrate showed an antireflection effect, with less than 2–3% average reflectance over the visible range. In addition, the effect of silver nanoparticles in the silicalite-1 zeolite on antibacterial performances was carried as a function of the amount of nano-sized silver used. With increasing amounts of nano-sized silver, the number of colony forming unit decreased and became almost to zero.