Damaging cell walls and membranes
Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and mold are single cellular organisms surrounded by either a cell wall, cell membrane, or both. Disruption of this outside layer is a common way to kill microorganisms. Like all organisms, the insides of a microorganism are carefully regulated, and ideally, stays inside.
One way to destroy microorganisms is to disrupt the activity of the membrane. For example, silver-based technologies release silver ions that can bind to proteins within the membrane that regulate transport into and out of the cell. Similarly, high concentrations of zinc, itself essential to microorganisms for growth, can end up blocking ion channels that cross the membrane. When nutrients essential to the microorganism cannot enter, cell growth and reproduction is halted.