Silver Nanocoatings at Large Length Scales: Influence of the AgNPs Morphology and Capping Agents on the Coating Chemical Stability and Antimicrobial Effect

We assessed at multiple length scales (nanometers to millimeters) the nanocoatings of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on model SiO2/Si substrates. The coatings from biogenic AgNPs (from yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) were compared to those formed from "synthetic" AgNPs capped with citrate and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). With computational analysis of large-field (LF) X-ray images of the whole substrates (5 × 5 mm), we were able to assess the coatings homogeneity, relative amount of AgNPs, and their distribution as agglomerates. Surprisingly, by analyzing more than 10...