Engineered silica NPs to hold and release the antimicrobial product Biotin T ®

While the preservation of culturally significant materials is increasingly recognized as important within the scientific community, it remains closely tied to traditional practices and the empiric knowledge of small handicraft companies. These procedures are usually highly effective, but, especially when dealing with biological degradation phenomena, they are often not updated to the latest scientific innovations and hence do not always consider the impact of their use on the environment. MCM-41 silica-based nanoparticles were employed as nanocontainers to encapsulate and later release the antimicrobial agent Biotin T ®. Specifically, the silica nanoparticles were modified with sulphonic groups to functionalize the silica structure and its interaction with the antimicrobial compound, thereby aiming to regulate its release. Microbiological tests were conducted to determine Biotin T ® antimicrobial activity at low concentrations. The nanomaterials were characterized by N₂ physisorption, XRD, TPO, TG/TDA, Raman IR/ATR spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, and HR-TEM, whereas Biotin T ® release was studied through UV spectroscopy. The functionalized silica nanoparticle-based matrix can encapsulate and gradually release the commercial biocidal. Two of the matrices, MCM-41 and MCM-SO₃H, exhibited different properties after functionalization, with both maintaining the original structure but leading to a higher interaction with the antimicrobial product.