Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Applications of Novel Copolymeric Silver Nanocomposite Hydrogels

• Published in: Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society 2011, Vol.32 (2), p.553-558
• Main Authors: Kim, Yong-Hyun, Babu, V. Ramesh, Thangadurai, Daniel T, Rao, K.S.V. krishna, Cha, Hyeong-Rae, Kim, Chang-Dae, Joo, Woo-Hong, Lee, Yong-Ill
• Format: Article
• Language: Korean
• ISSN: 0253-2964; 1229-5949

Copolymeric silver nanocomposite hydrogels were synthesized by using acryloyl phenylalanine (APA), N'-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and crosslinked by N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) via radical redox polymerization. Present study allows entrapping silver nanoparticles into hydrogel networks. UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles in hydrogel matrix. 11% of weight loss difference between hydrogel and silver nanocomposite hydrogel is clearly indicates the formation and silver nanoparticles by thermo-gravimetrical analysis. The order of swelling capacity values of hydrogels and silver nanocmposite hydrogels were found to be in the order of placebo copolymeric hydrogel >Ag-copolymeric silver nanocomposite hydrogels. The particle size of silver nanoparticles was analysed and are in the range of 5 - 10 nm which has been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as particle size analysis. The silver nanocomposite hydrogel has shown very good antibacterial activity on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteriocides.