Technological Mapping on the Use of Palygorskita Nanocompositals / Silver Nanoparticles as A Bactericide Agent with Views in Biotechnological Applications

The search for new nanostructured materials that have an antimicrobial activity and which may arise as an alternative in biotechnological applications has aroused great interest by the scientific community. The use of natural resources in the development of these materials becomes interesting not only because of their availability and low cost, but also because they are materials with low or no toxicity and properties of interest, such as palygorskite clay (PAL), also called attapulgite. Thus, a new applicability is proposed with the use of this natural resource for the development of biotechnological products, such as the development of nanocomposites constituted by the incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in PAL for its use as bactericidal agent. The objective of the research was to carry out a prospective study on the basis of periodicals of Scopus, Web of Science and Scielo, as well as in the patent banks of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), European Patent Office (Espacenet) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), from 2006 to 02/2017. From the results of articles and patents, a considerable number of articles and patents were found using the word "Palygorskite" or "Attapulgite". However, when the "Palygorskite or Attapulgite AND silver nanoparticle AND antimicrobial" and "Palygorskite or Attapulgite AND silver nanoparticle AND bactericidal" combinations were used, no article or patent has been found to date. Thus, the development of PAL/AgNPs nanocomposites for biotechnological applications can be very promising and innovative for the characteristics presented by both materials.