Bacterial adsorption effect of smectite for wound-healing application

Abstract

Smectite containing Zn2+ or Mg2+ ions was synthesized by a solution process. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the synthesized smectite powder corresponded to those of previous studies. In bacterial adsorption tests, smectite containing Zn2+ or Mg2+ ions was found to exhibit bacterial adsorption properties which were greater for smectite containing Zn2+ ion than for smectite containing Mg2+ ion. By observation, using the fluorescent staining method, the bacteria adsorbed on the smectite powder were confirmed as live bacteria. These results suggested that the bacterial adsorption can reduce bacterial infection.