Antimicrobial activity of silver/starch/polyacrylamide nanocomposite

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Starch and polyacrylamide are biocompatible polymers.
• Silver nanoparticles exhibit potent antimicrobial properties.
• Developing advanced hydrogels with antimicrobial capabilities is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel silver/starch/polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogel.
• To investigate the effect of silver ion concentration on hydrogel properties and antimicrobial activity.

Main Methods:

• Grafting acrylamide onto starch using ammonium persulfate and N,N-methylene-bisacrylamide.
• In-situ reduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles within the hydrogel matrix using sodium hydroxide.
• Optimization of grafting and crosslinking reaction parameters.
• Characterization using UV-Vis spectroscopy to confirm silver nanoparticle formation and quantify silver content.
• Evaluation of antimicrobial activity against representative bacterial and fungal strains.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of silver/starch/polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogel.
• UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed the presence of silver nanoparticles, with peak intensity increasing with silver nitrate concentration.
• Antimicrobial activity was observed to be concentration-dependent, with significant inhibition zones appearing at silver concentrations from 5ppm to 50ppm.
• Hydrogel with 0ppm silver content showed no antimicrobial activity.

Conclusions:

• The developed silver/starch/polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogel is an effective antimicrobial material.
• Increasing silver nanoparticle content enhances the antimicrobial efficacy of the hydrogel.
• This novel nanocomposite hydrogel holds promise for applications requiring antimicrobial properties.