Effect of Size and Shape of Nanosilver Particles on Struvite and Carbonate Apatite Precipitation

In the present study an effect of size and shape of nanosilver particles on struvite and carbonate apatite growth is presented. Such investigations are performed in relation to infectious urinary stone formation, because struvite and carbonate apatite are the main components of this kind of stones. The growth process of these components are performed in the environment of artificial urine in the presence of Proteus mirabilis and without them. The spherical nanosilver particles of diameter 10 and 100 nm and nanowires of diameter 60 nm and length 10 μm are studied. The results demonstrate that nanosilver particles influence the growth process of struvite and carbonate apatite by lengthening the induction time. Depending on the shape and size of particles the effectiveness in this lengthening is different. Smaller particles exhibit greater inhibitory effect on the growth of struvite and carbonate apatite than bigger ones. For smaller nanosilver particles (10 nm), the inhibitory effect is observed for small mass concentration (2 μg/mL). The results could aid in the design of more efficient methods of inhibiting the growth of this kind of infectious urinary stones.