Synthesis and Characteristics of a Fish Scale-Based Biochar–Nanosilver Antibacterial Material

Abstract

Microbial contamination has caused various diseases via pathogenic bacteria, endangering people’s lives every day. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the exploration of new and effective antibacterial materials. In this paper, we attempted to synthesize a fish scale charcoal nanosilver antibacterial composite using waste fish scale as a carbon substrate. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy showed that the structure of the nanosilver fish scale material formed and the nanosilver particles formed account for 72.1% of the silver element. Its antibacterial ability against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was examined using the plate counting method and inhibition zones; the maximum inhibition zone was 32 mm. The antibacterial rate could reach >99.9%, indicating that this prepared material had excellent antibacterial activity. After 20 batches of bacteriostasis, the bacteriostasis rate was more than 90%, indicating that the fish scale/silver composite had sustained antibacterial ability and excellent antibacterial reusability. Finally, potential antibacterial mechanism was proposed. Overall, the fish scale/silver composite has a good application prospect and a wide range of applications in the handling of microbial pollution in the future.