Gold and silver/Si nanocomposite layers

Ag and Au nanolayers were realised by physical and chemical deposition methods on porous silicon (PS) nanostructured surfaces for biomedical applications: support for living cells, biodegradable material for the slow release of drugs/minerals, and as a bioactive material for scaffolds. Au nanoparticles on nanocrystalline Si are widely used in increasing substrate biocompatibility properties. It has an electrochemical potential of + 0.332 mV and surface energy around 25 erg/cm2, close to those of living tissues. The Au nanocrystallites orientation on nanocrystalline Si substrates is also of great interest for application in biochemistry; the Au (111)/nc-Si surface has a higher density of atoms compared with Au (100); this favours the attachment of a higher number of atoms and bio-molecules on the gold surface. Ag nanoparticles on nanocrystalline Si are important for the latter's anti-microbial properties. In minute concentrations, Ag is highly toxic to germs while relatively non-toxic to human cells. Microbes are unlikely to develop a resistance against silver, as they do against conventional and highly targeted antibiotics. The Au and Ag nanoparticles/silicon nanocomposite layers as-deposited and thermally treated were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and biological tests using eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell cultures. The experimental results sustain the use of Au/Si and Ag/Si or combined Ag/Au/Si nanocomposite structures as biocompatible and anti-microbial matrix