Scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry of the Małopolska Center of Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow and the Institute of Physicochemistry and Catalysis of the Polish Academy of Sciences presented a new method of synthesizing silver nanoparticles with controlled size and charge in an aqueous environment.

In a study published in the prestigious journal “ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces”, Polish researchers showed that the size and load of nanoparticles can be changed depending on potential applications, maintaining their durability and activity in the aquatic environment.

According to the University of Krakow, the team led by Dr Janusz Dąbrowski from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University examined the effectiveness of the newly synthesized silver nanoparticles and discovered that their biological activity can be controlled, depending on the parameters (charge or size).

It has been shown, that positively charged nanoparticles with a size of 10 nm may lead to the elimination of 100%. bacteria, while nanoparticles with a diameter of 40 nm can selectively destroy breast and colon cancer cells without damaging the normal cells.