Dissolvable Trimolybdate Nanowires as Ag Carriers for High-Efficiency Antimicrobial Applications

Abstract

Elimination of bacteria and other microbes effectively is important to our daily life and a variety of medical applications. Here, we introduce a new kind of trimolybdate nanowires, namely Ag 2 − x ( NH 4 ) x Mo 3 O 10 ⋅ 3 H 2 O , that carry a large amount of Ag atoms in the lattice and Ag-rich nanoparticles on the surface. These nanowires can eliminate bacteria of E. coli , Staphylococcus aureus , and unknown microbes in raw natural water with high efficiency. For example, they can inactivate more than 98% of E. coli with a nanowire concentration of only 5 ppm in the solution. The excellent sterilization performance is attributed to the combined effects of Ag ions, Mo ions, and Ag-rich nanoparticles of the Ag 2 − x ( NH 4 ) x Mo 3 O 10 ⋅ 3 H 2 O nanowires. These nanowires are not dissolvable in deionized water but can be dissolved by the metabolic materials released from bacteria, making them attractive for many biological applications.