#4 ANTIBACTERIALS
Nanotechnology also contributes to making our world a cleaner place. In addition to the antimicrobial effect of silver ions and silver-based compounds, silver nanoparticles have a large surface area for bacteria to be exposed to. The silver nanoparticles penetrate bacterial cell walls and cause cell lysis. But the use of silver nanoparticles, which are present on everything from door handles to cleaning solutions, is not without risk.
Studies suggest that their widespread use has led to increased concentrations of silver ions in waste water and soil, which may have long-term toxic environmental effects. Researchers are now looking at the antimicrobial properties of other metallic agents such as gold nanoparticles and zinc oxide, as well as carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes.
