Application of Silver Nanoparticles for Disinfection of Materials to Protect Historical Objects

There is a need to find an effective and durable method for disinfecting historical objects made from natural fibres, paper, leather, and wood that does not cause these materials to degrade. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of nanosilver misting disinfection of above–mentioned materials on the reduction of the number of microorganisms: A. niger, B. subtilis, E. coli and S. aureus. In addition, the objective was to examine the changes in mechanical and optical properties of tested materials occurring during the disinfection and accelerated ageing process. The results show that nanosilver misting — provided silver content in materials were equal to 1.2–7.0 ppm is an effective method for protecting all tested materials against A. niger, B. subtilis, E. coli and S. aureus. The highest reduction of microorganisms was obtained in the case of paper and textile disinfection. The established sensitivity of microorganisms was as follows: A. niger >E. coli >S. aureus >B. subtilis. The presence of nanosilver in the materials does not result in a significant deterioration of their mechanical and optical properties during an accelerated light ageing process (equivalent to about 24 years of museum exposure). Based on the results obtained in this study, it can be stated that the nanosilver misting method may have potential beneficial use in the preservation of historical objects.