Preparing and Testing a Magnetic Antimicrobial Silver Nanocomposite for Water Disinfection To Gain Experience at the Nanochemistry-Microbiology Interface

We describe a 2 h introductory laboratory procedure that prepares a novel magnetic antimicrobial activated carbon-nanocomposite in which nanoscale sized magnetite and silver particles are incorporated (MACAg). The MACAg nanocomposite has achieved the synergistic properties derived from its components and demonstrated its applicability as an effective and recoverable antimicrobial agent for water disinfection. The principle is successfully illustrated by a 1) Separation significant reduction in the number of microbes in an 2) Inoculation Escherichia coli (E. coli) solution of 2 x 10(6) colony forming units following its treatment with MACAg for 10 min. The exercise allows the college students to (1) be introduced to an exciting class of advanced materials, known as nanocomposites, at an early stage, (2) gain working experiences at nanochemistry microbiology interface, and (3) see the use and experience the fun of chemistry. The experiment uses readily available materials, can be run in a general or introductory chemistry laboratory environment, and is well received and enjoyed by the students. The experiment is also suitable for advanced high school students.