Antibacterial Activity of Silver‐Loaded “Green Zeolites”

Abstract “Green Zeolites” were prepared, without the use of organic structure‐directing agents (OSDAs), by the seed‐assisted method and were loaded with silver by a simple ion‐exchange procedure. The silver‐loaded zeolites were characterized by XRD, transmission electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, which reveals that the ion‐exchange procedure does not affect the structure of the zeolites and the presence of silver cations inside the aluminosilicate matrix. Two types of zeolites presenting different pore arrangements were studied: the beta‐type with three‐dimensionally interconnected pores and the MTW‐type with one‐dimensionally interconnected pores. Their activity against E. coli was studied and compared with a commercial zeolite. The influence of the arrangement of the pore channels and the amount of silver loaded were studied. Comparison with the commercial product shows that a smaller amount of silver inside the zeolite is necessary to achieve a similar antibacterial performance within one hour.