Microwave-Assisted In Situ Encapsulation of Uniform Ag Nanoclusters in ZSM-5 for Enhanced Catalytic and Antibacterial Performance

Silver nanoparticles hold great promise in biomedical and environmental applications, yet small and uniform Ag nanoclusters are hindered by easy aggregation, uncontrollable growth, and difficult recovery. Here we report a rapid and controllable ultrasmall (1–4.5 nm) Ag nanocluster by uniformly dispersed encapsulation in ZSM-5 channels using a microwave-assisted one-pot synthesis strategy. The ZSM-5 containing 1.21 wt % Ag nanoclusters exhibits a high Ag atomic utilization rate of 81.2%. The unique confinement structure effectively prevents Ag nanocluster overgrowth while conferring exceptional recyclability, maintaining over 99.9% bactericidal efficacy against Escherichia coli after three cycles. Performance testing reveals the material exhibits remarkable peroxidase-like activity (3.73 U/mg) and catalytic capability (methylene blue reduction rate constant of 0.167 min–1). This study offers a size-controllable approach for preparing high-performance, easily recoverable, and scalable Ag-based nanomaterials.