Preparation of Silver-Doped Alumina Spherical Beads with Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

The synthesis of composites with antibacterial properties is of great interest for the development of new biomedical applications. The antimicrobial properties of silver have been verified against microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi; interest in silver has been renewed, so several technologies are currently in development, especially in dental materials. The purpose of this work was to improve the parameters for producing silver-doped alumina spherical beads using sodium alginate as a sacrificial template. Alumina is a biocompatible and thermally stable ceramic, while silver was used for its bactericidal properties. The obtained spheres presented a mean diameter of 2 mm, with an irregular surface and intertwined particles after a sintering process. After electrodeposition, white spheres turned to a dark gray color, demonstrating the presence of silver nanoparticles and fractal silver dendrites on the surface. Spheres were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and XRD. Antimicrobial activity of the alumina-AgP spheres against E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and S. mutans was analyzed by turbidimetry. The specific antimicrobial activity of all the composites showed specific antibacterial effects, independently of the amount of silver deposited, probably due to the differences in the microbial cell wall structures. Therefore, antibacterial activity depends on microbiological and structural characteristics of each bacterium.