Bactericide efficiency of a combination of chitosan gel with silver nanoparticles

Abstract

A hybrid hydrogel composed of chitosan and silver nanoparticles was prepared. Silver nanoparticles were synthetized prior to their incorporation into the gel and were characterized using DLS and TEM, the size of silver nanoparticles was 7nm and present spherical morphology. The chitosan gel was prepared in the presence of silver nanoparticles and was characterized using DSC and ESEM. The ability to release silver ions and the bactericide activity were also evaluated. The thermal properties of the chitosan gel containing silver nanoparticles are very similar to those presented by the chitosan gel without silver but with a slight increment on its thermal stability. This hydrogel releases silver ions during at least two weeks and its bactericide properties are comparable to that of chlorhexidine which is the antibacterial most commonly used against S. mutans.