Creating and Testing Silver Nanoparticle Socks

This lesson, presented by the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, provides students with the opportunity to "use the pure silver nanoparticles they synthesize to create antibacterial socks." Using a relatable medium like socks allows students to synthesize new information on and understand practical information on nanoparticle technology. In this experiment, students will "compare their socks with socks that have been treated with a commercial silver spray, socks that have been treated in a factory, and a control that was not been treated. After a 24-hour period in which the bacteria will be allowed to grow on the agar plates, each culture (which will contain a piece of sock) will be observed for a zone of inhibition."