What is Nanotechnology? Nano is derived from the Greek word Nanos a word-pattern intended to everything small Nanoscience is the study of the fundamental principles of atomic and molecular scale that range between 1 to 100 nanometer.

At nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms, molecules or bulk matter. This unique phenomena is directed toward creating improved materials, devices, and systems that utilize these new properties. Why Nanotechnology?

How small is Nano-small? Units in nanometers (µm) Nano is one-billionth of a meter.

Compared to Human Hair A Human Hair is about 100,000µm wide

SILVER Silver is a white and brilliant metallic element positioned 47th in the periodic chart with Ag, meaning “argentum”, as its chemical symbol. Pure silver is ideally ductile and malleable and has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity and lowest contact resistance.

Among its many applications, those with disinfectant property for hygienic and medical purposes were the reason of prominent usage. Silver vessel was used in ancient times to preserve water. Silver powder was listed as treatment for ulcers. SILVER HISTORY

Silver compounds were major weapon against wound infection in World War I until the advent of antibiotics. In 1884 German obstetrician C.S.F. Crede introduced l% silver nitrate as an eye solution for prevention of Gonococcal Ophthalmia Neonatorum, which is perhaps the first scientifically documented medical use of silver (Russell and Hugo, 1994).Russell and Hugo, 1994 topically used silver sulfadiazine cream was standard antibacterial treatment for serious burn wounds and is still widely used in burn units.

SILVER ABOLISHED Irreversible pigmentation of the skin and the eye, i.e. argyria or argyrosis, due to silver deposition, may develop after prolonged exposure to silver or silver compounds (Van de Voorde et al., 2005, Eturska and Obreshkova, 1979 and Spencer et al., 1980).Van de Voorde et al., 2005Eturska and Obreshkova, 1979Spencer et al., 1980 Due to this problem and together with the advent of antibiotics like penicillins and cephalosporins, silver faded away as an anti- infection agent.

Upon reaching nanoscale, silver particles exhibit remarkably unusual physicochemical properties and biological activities. Great research efforts have been committed to this respect and yielded exciting and encouraging results. As a consequence, applications of NANOSILVER especially in the healthcare sector have been sharply explored. “Silver nanoparticles are emerging as one of the fastest growing product categories in the nanotechnology industry” NANOSILVER

the remarkable strong anti-microbial activity has been the major direction for development of nanosilver products. In the medical arena, there are wound dressings, contraceptive devices, surgical instruments and bone prostheses all coated or embedded with nanosilver (Cheng et al., 2004, Chen et al., 2006b,Muangman et al., 2006, Cohen et al., 2007, Lansdown, 2006 and Zhang et al., 2007c).Cheng et al., 2004Chen et al., 2006bMuangman et al., 2006Cohen et al., 2007Lansdown, 2006Zhang et al., 2007c In daily life, consumers may have nanosilver containing room spays, laundry detergents, water purificants and wall paint (Cheng et al., 2004 and Zhang and Sun, 2007b).Cheng et al., 2004Zhang and Sun, 2007b NANOSILVER

Silver nanoparticles are also incorporated into textiles for manufacture of clothing, underwear and socks (Lee et al., 2007 and Vigneshwaran et al., 2007).Lee et al., 2007Vigneshwaran et al., 2007 There are washing machines, which employs nanosilver ( It is estimated that of all the nanomaterials in medical and healthcare sector, NANOSILVER application has the highest degree of commercialization. NANOSILVER

Exposure to nanosilver in the body is becoming increasingly widespread and intimate. Consequently, silver in the form of nanoparticles has gained an increasing access to tissues, cells and biological molecules within the human body. The traditional belief is that except for argyria or argyrosis and some minor problems, silver is relatively non-toxic to mammalian cells. NANOSILVER SAFETY

Silver poisoning only occurs among workers who have chronic history of silver exposure. Drake and Hazelwood have reviewed health effects of silver and silver compounds from a perspective of occupational exposure. Metallic silver was viewed to be a minimal health risk (Drake and Hazelwood, 2005)Drake and Hazelwood, 2005 NANOSILVER SAFETY

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