Gold Nanoparticles Based Antibacterial and Antiviral Functional Materials

The unprecedented emergence and rapid spread of pandemics have posed significant challenges to global health and well-being. The urgency to combat infectious diseases has driven the scientific community to explore innovative and effective solutions. Among these, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have garnered considerable attention due to their unique physicochemical properties, making them promising candidates for combating bacterial and viral infections. This context explores the multifaceted applications of AuNPs as functional materials in the era of pandemics. An overview of the fundamental properties of AuNPs is provided that underpin their antibacterial and antiviral mechanisms. It further delves into the strategies employed to engineer AuNPs for enhanced antimicrobial efficacy, such as surface functionalization, size tuning, and hybridization with other materials. The synthesis and stabilizing methodologies of AuNPs and their characterization techniques are also discussed, providing insights into the optimization of their antimicrobial activity. Moreover, the context highlights recent advances in utilizing AuNPs for the development of protective coatings, biosensors, drug delivery, personal care, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and electrical devices to mitigate the transmission of infectious agents during pandemics. Additionally, the safety considerations and potential toxicity issues related to the widespread implementation of AuNPs are addressed. By comprehensively examining the diverse applications of AuNPs as potent antimicrobial agents, such context seeks to inspire future research endeavors in the field of nanotechnology-based strategies for pandemic preparedness and response.

Seyed Morteza Naghib, Mahya Bakhshi , Bahar Ahmadi, and Ali Bakhshi Antibacterial and Antiviral Functional Materials, Volume 2. , 221-256 DOI:10.1021/bk-2024-1472.ch007

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