Efficiency of Cu, Ag, and Fe Nanoparticles As Detergents Preservatives Against E. coli and S. aureus

In this study, Cu, Ag, and Fe nanoparticles (NPs) are used in shampoo, hand washing liquid (HWL) and dish washing liquid (DWL) instead of the conventional synthetic preservatives such as isothiazolinones; since the latter often act as potent sensitizers that leads to development of allergic contact dermatitis. The above NPs are considerably effective against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our metal NPs are deliberately made durable and pure through arc fabrication. They appear in spherical morphology as indicated by XRD and SEM. This study clearly demonstrates the advantages of using rather low concentrations of Ag, Cu and Fe NPs as preservatives instead of carcinogenic Kathone CG, which is commonly used in detergent products.The shampoo formulation with 0.1 g/L Cu NPs and HWL and DWL with 0.1 g/L Ag NPs exhibit the best antibacterial activity against tested E. coli and S. aureus. Generally, the order of antibacterial activity of these preservatives is: Cu NPs>Ag NPs> Fe NPs.