Bringing the Interaction of Silver Nanoparticles with Bacteria to Light

TL;DR

This review explores how silver nanoparticles interact with bacteria, focusing on changes in their optical properties that could enable simple, color-based bacterial detection methods.

Contribution

It synthesizes current research on the optical property modifications of silver nanoparticles during bacterial interactions, highlighting potential for improved detection techniques.

Findings

Silver nanoparticles' optical properties change upon bacterial interaction.

Localized surface plasmon resonance is sensitive to bacterial presence.

Potential for colorimetric bacterial detection methods.

Abstract

In the last decades the exploitation of silver nanoparticles in novel antibacterial and detection devices have risen to prominence for their well-known specific interaction with bacteria. The vast majority of studies focus on the investigation over the mechanism of action underpinning bacterial eradication, while little efforts have been devoted to the modification of silver optical properties upon interaction with bacteria. Specifically, given the characteristic localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanostructures, which is sensitive to changes in the charge carrier density or in the dielectric environment, these systems can offer a handle in the detection of bacteria pathogens. In this review, we present the state of art of the research activity on the interaction of silver nanoparticles with bacteria, with emphasis on the modification of their optical properties. This may indeed lead to easy color reading of bacterial tests and pave the way to the development of nanotechnology silver based bacterial detection.