Metal nanoparticle‐hydrogel nanocomposites for biomedical applications – An atmospheric pressure plasma synthesis approach

• Published in: Plasma processes and polymers 2018-11, Vol.15 (11), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Nolan, Hugo, Sun, Daye, Falzon, Brian G., Chakrabarti, Supriya, Padmanaba, Dilli Babu, Maguire, Paul, Mariotti, Davide, Yu, Tao, Jones, David, Andrews, Gavin, Sun, Dan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anti‐bacterial composites; Atmospheric pressure; atmospheric pressure microplasma synthesis; Biomedical materials; Gold; green synthesis; Hydrogels; Microplasmas; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; NP/hydrogel composites; Silver base alloys; Synthesis
• ISSN: 1612-8850; 1612-8869
• DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201800112

The development of multifunctional nanocomposite materials is of great interest for various biomedical applications. A popular approach to produce tailored nanocomposites is to incorporate functional nanoparticles into hydrogels. Here, a benign atmospheric pressure microplasma synthesis approach has been deployed for the synthesis of metal and alloy NPs in‐situ in a poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. The formation of gold, silver, and gold‐silver alloy NPs was confirmed via spectroscopic and microscopic characterization techniques. The properties of the hydrogel were not compromised during formation of the composites. Practical applications of the NP/PVA nanocomposites has been demonstrated by anti‐bacterial testing. This establishes AMP processing as a viable one‐step technique for the fabrication of NP/hydrogel composites, with potential multifunctionality for a range of biomedical applications. An Atmospheric Pressure Microplasma technique has been used for in‐situ synthesis of metal NP/PVA composite hydrogels. Au, Ag, and AuAg NPs have been synthesized in a PVA solution in a green one‐step process to produce composite hydrogels. Anti‐bacterial properties of these hydrogels have been demonstrated, showing their potential in biomedical applications.