Stable silver nanoparticles in solutions of sodium-carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC) were synthesized and their structure and physico-chemical properties were evaluated. The form and sizes of silver nanoparticles formed in solutions of CMC and cotton fabrics were studied using UV-VIS spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods. It was found that silver nitrate concentration increase in sodium carboxymethylcellulose solutions, as well as photoirradiation of the hydrogel lead to the changes of the silver nanoparticles size and shape. Investigations have also shown that spherical silver nanoparticles with sizes of 5-35 nm and content of 0.0086 mass% in cotton fabrics possess high bactericidal activity. Stabilization of silver nanoparticles has preserved bactericidal and bacteriostatic activities during the washing of cotton fabrics and textiles on their base.

Silver nanoparticles have an extremely large specifi c surface area, which increases when in contact with bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This signifi cantly increases their bactericidal activity by decreasing the sizes of silver nanoparticles and by increasing their surface area to volume ratio [15].According to the literature, the mechanisms of the antimicrobial activity of Ag + and Ag NPs are very similar to each other. Both Ag + and Ag NPs can participate in intermolecular interactions with the cell membrane of bacteria. Furthermore, Ag particles smaller than 10nm have been reported to penetrate into the interior of microorganism cells, where they bind to the thiol groups of enzymes and nucleic acids [16,17].