The Production of Aluminum Nanoparticles via Pulsed Laser Ablation for Application in Bacterial Deactivation

Antibiotic resistance to a widening range of diseases is one of the problems in current medicine; new antibiotic materials are thus needed. To aid in this issue, metal nanoparticles (NPs) are being investigated for their antibacterial properties due to favorable characteristics such as high tunability. We propose aluminum metal NPs as a novel material for bacterial deactivation. Aluminum metal NPs were fabricated using pulsed laser ablation at different laser powers and wavelengths in both alcohol and DI water. The particles were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The laser power, wavelength, and type of solvent were found to highly affect the final product. Aluminum NPs in a variety of sizes were formed. Initial results in combination with 9,10-Anthracenediyl-bis(methylene)dimalonic acid (ABMDMA) for light therapy showed that the produced NPs were effective in producing singlet oxygen, a highly reactive species to deactivate bacteria. The amount of singlet oxygen showed size dependency. The results of this work could be used to treat skin diseases, prosthetic joint infections, and cancer.