Laser ablation in liquid-assisted synthesis of three types of nanoparticles for enhanced antibacterial applications

Abstract In this study, three different types of metal nanoparticles (NPs)—namely, gold (Au), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn)—were produced using pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method and characterized for potential application on dental implant surfaces. PLAL is a promising method compared to the commonly used wet chemistry synthesis approaches, as it allows the production of ultra-pure, less toxic, homogeneous, and uniform metal NPs. Additionally, it is more repeatable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. PLAL allowed to produce well-dispersed, spherical nanoparticles with no apparent contamination, with mean diameters of: AuNPs—5.20 nm and 7.46 nm; MgNPs—1.87 nm and 3.84 nm; and ZnNPs—120.59 nm and 19.52 nm, for 15 and 30 min of ablation time, respectively. According to the Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) results, it was observed that the gram-positive S. aureus was inhibited by all NPs, with AuNPs exhibiting the lowest MIC of 1.719 µg/mL, while ZnNPs and MgNPs had a MIC of 3.438 µg/mL. For the gram-negative E. coli , AuNPs and MgNPs were able to inhibit bacterial growth at a concentration of 13.750 µg/mL, while ZnNPs failed to inhibit bacterial growth at the tested concentrations after 24 h of incubation. At a concentration of 0.02 µg/mL, all the NPs and SDS were found to be biocompatible with human cells, with proliferation significantly higher when the NPs were present, corroborating their potential protective effect on cells. These findings are important for novel dental implant functionalized surfaces, which can extend their viability and lifespan, thus reducing future costs and material waste.