Abstract
Although silver has long been used as an antimicrobial agent, it is not used often due to economical and environmental concerns. However, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have the same properties as elemental silver and can be synthesized on a considerably more economical level. The objective of this study was to synthesize AgNPs and analyze their physical, chemical, and antimicrobial properties. The first portion of this study consisted of synthesizing AgNPs of 5nm, 35nm, 40nm, and 60nm lengths, using diluted lab solutions and sterile techniques. The physical analysis of the AgNPs was performed through visual color comparisons of their varied sizes, which confirmed their successful synthesis. A chemical analysis was then conducted using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, which measured their absorbance at a 635nm wavelength. Finally, the antimicrobial property of the AgNPs was investigated by inoculating a strain of Staphylococcus aureus with titrated concentrations of varied nanoparticle size. This titration allowed for the analysis of the relationship between the size of AgNPs and level of inhibition of S. aureus. The results of the bacterial inhibition were quantified using a colorimeter, which determined the density of the bacteria and the consequent level of inhibition. The results were analyzed using an ANOVA test, which determined that at a 95% significance level, AgNPs were successfully able to inhibit the growth of S. aureus. However, the results of an ensuing series of t-tests indicated that there was not a consistent relationship between the size of the nanoparticles and the level of bacterial inhibition.Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (linked here). By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are available for wide dissemination at no cost to readers, with proper attribution (acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal), in educational and other non-commercial settings. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal. However, for undergraduates authoring a manuscript under the guidance of a faculty member or research mentor, we strongly encourage the student to discuss with the faculty mentor and the Editor if prior publication in the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal will constrain future publication efforts in professional journals. To this end, all authors must submit a signed mentor consent form at the time of submission..