Oxygen-vacancy-mediated silver release from mesoporous CeO₂ for durable antimicrobial coatings

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Silver ions (Ag⁺) exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties but suffer from rapid release in physiological environments, limiting their sustained application.
• Developing materials that control Ag⁺ release is crucial for long-term antibacterial efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel silver-loaded porous ceria (CeO₂) composite for controlled Ag⁺ release and enhanced antimicrobial activity.
• To investigate the relationship between Ag⁺ release kinetics and antimicrobial performance.
• To explore the synergistic antimicrobial mechanism of the CeO₂/Ag composite.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a novel Ag-loaded porous CeO₂ composite.
• In vitro release and antimicrobial kinetics evaluation system.
• Analysis of synergistic reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Main Results:

• The porous CeO₂ structure uniformly loaded silver nanoparticles and promoted Ag⁺ release.
• Mesoporous CeO₂ successfully regulated Ag⁺ release, achieving a balance between antimicrobial efficacy and durability.
• The CeO₂/Ag composite demonstrated synergistic antimicrobial activity via ROS generation and showed potential for antimicrobial surfaces when integrated into a powder coating.

Conclusions:

• The developed CeO₂/Ag composite offers a new strategy for designing functional materials with long-term and stable antimicrobial properties.
• Controlled Ag⁺ release from the porous CeO₂ matrix enhances antibacterial durability.
• This composite holds promise for applications requiring persistent antimicrobial surfaces.