abstract
- Humankind has been living among bacteria from the very beginning of our existence. As a result of this interaction based on millions of years of encounters, both symbiotic and pathogenic relationships have arisen, leading to some outstanding and dramatic changes. With the industrial introduction of antibiotics, human beings have the ability to fight back those bacterial pathogens behind some of the most worrisome pandemics in history. The introduction of penicillin at first, and then a wide array of newly synthesized antibiotics, gave us a chance to counteract the effect of diseases that accounted for high mortality rates. However, as we have seen, bacteria have mutated around the use of antibiotics causing new bacteria strains that we are unable to kill. This chapter will cover how new metallic nanomaterials are being synthesized in a green or environmental friendly manner to kill bacteria without relying on antibiotics. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.