Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology deals with structures ranging from approximately 1 to 100 nm in at least
one dimension. The field of nanotechnology is one of the most active areas of research in
contemporary materials science. Nanoparticles have completely new or improved properties which
are based on specific characteristics like size, shape, crystalline structure and morphology. This
field is emerging with new discoveries every day, making an impact on all spheres of human life.
The potential of nanoparticles and nonmaterial are emerging rapidly. Silver in nanocrystalline
form has found marvelous applications in the field of high sensitivity bio molecular
detection, disease and chemical diagnostics, antimicrobial and therapeutic compounds, catalysis
and micro-electronics. Nanoparticles have also been used in consumer products, as well as
electronics, sensors, munitions, and propulsion technologies

 Silver as an antimicrobial agent
Silver has been in use since time immemorial. However the use of silver for medicine or
as a local antibacterial agent was not recognized until the nineteenth century. Since then the
antimicrobial property of silver has been investigated and employed more extensively than any
other inorganic antibacterial agent. As early as 1000 B.C. silver was used to make water potable.
Solid form of Silver nitrate was used for the treatment of various diseases, diseases of salivary
glands and bone and perennial abscesses. In the 19th century granulation tissues were removed
using silver nitrate to allow epithelization and promote crust formation on the wound surface. A
different concentration of silver nitrate was used for the treatment of fresh burns. In the 1940s,
after penicillin was introduced, the use of silver for the treatment of bacterial infections
minimized. Silver again came into picture in the 1960s when Moyer introduced the use of 0.5%
silver nitrate for the treatment of burns. He proposed the antibacterial property of silver against
Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Escherichia coli. Silver nitrate was merged with
sulfonamide to form silver sulfadiazine cream, which used as a broad-spectrum antibacterial
compound and was used for the treatment of burn victims. Silver sulfadiazine is effective against
bacteria like E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas spp. Due to the increasing
bacterial resistance to classic antibiotics, the investigations on the antibacterial activity of silver
nanoparticles have amplified.

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