Strategies to design novel antibacterial materials may rely on the combination of materials to achieve synergistic effects. The coupling of antibacterial peptides to nanoparticles, however, needs to be directed conveniently to avoid structural changes within the peptide and/or degradation of the nanoparticle. Here, we present the results of the attachment of a synthetic peptide (VIHGW-alkyne-G-NH2) containing the amino terminal copper and nickel (ATCUN) motif to silver nanoparticles. In order to direct the peptide-nanoparticle coupling, the peptide was functionalized with an alkyne, whereas the nanoparticles were functionalized with azide groups using thiol-polyethylene glycol-azide (HS-PEG-N3) chains, so that the acetylide and the azide can undergo a click reaction. The reaction was conducted at room temperature and the steps in the construction of the nanoparticle-PEG-ATCUN array were ...

In spite of the widespread use of the chemical reduction method to obtain silver nanoparticles, the nanoparticle yield is often low due to a required addition of small volumes of diluted metal ions to a solution containing a reducer. Higher yields can be obtained following an alternative method, in which the reducer is added to a greater volume of silver ions in the solution. In this study, protocols for both methods are detailed and compared, using characterization tools such as UV-vis spectrometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential measurements. By using this alternative method, the amount of silver in the solution is three times greater, and nanoparticles with a narrower size distribution are formed (between 6 and 70 nm in size). In contrast, the regular method produces particles of 3 and 100 nm. Zeta potential measurements indicate that the nanoparticles synthesized ...