Multifunctional silver nanoparticles-loaded rutin functionalised sodium alginate beads: catalysis, corrosion...

In recent years, the development of sustainable heterogeneous catalysts has posed a significant challenge. To tackle this, a biocompatible three-dimensional nanostructure was designed with excellent recyclability by functionalizing alginate beads with rutin and decorating them with silver nanoparticles. Various characterizations like FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XRD, FTIR, UV-Visible spectroscopy were performed to confirm the structural integrity. The beads were utilized for catalytic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds with %conversion of 4-Nitrophenol to 4-amino phenol 99.97% and more than 98% for other substrates to their respective amines. The catalyst could be recycled for 8 cycles with no significant loss in catalytic potential. The silver nanoparticle loaded polymer also demonstrated corrosion inhibiting ability. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel analysis indicates that minimal electrochemical activity at the metal/coating interface suggesting high corrosion resistance. The antibacterial potential was demonstrated against E. coli, S. aureus and P. stuzuri with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 62.5 ± 0.87, 15 ± 0.44 and 3.7 ± 0.34 μg/mL respectively. Considering the antioxidant property of rutin, antioxidant potential was also investigated and prominent results were obtained with IC₅₀ value of 52 ± 0.09 μg/mL for Ag loaded beads. This study establishes a sustainable strategy for fabricating multifunctional nanostructures that couple environmental remediation with biomedical relevance, offering a scalable pathway toward greener catalytic systems and advanced protective coatings.