Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on the Microstructure, Non-Isothermal Crystallization Behavior and Antibacterial Activity of Polyoxymethylene.

Yicheng Zeng,Yang Liu,Xun Zhang,Ying Li,Hongliang Huang,Yongli Liu,Minghua Min,Lumin Wang

doi:10.3390/polym12020424

Abstract

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile route in the presence of oleic acid and n-propylamine. It was shown that the average primary size of the as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles was approximately 10 nm and the surface of as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles was capped with monolayer surfactants with the content of 19.6%. Based on as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles, polyoxymethylene (POM)/Ag nanocomposites were prepared. The influence of Ag nanoparticles on non-isothermal crystallization behavior of POM was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Jeziorny, Jeziorny-modified Avrami, Ozawa, Liu and Mo, Ziabicki and Kissinger models were applied to analyze the non-isothermal melt crystallization data of POM/Ag nanocomposites. Results of half time (t1/2), crystallization rate parameter (CRP), crystallization rate function (K(T)), kinetic parameter (F(T)), the kinetic crystallizability at unit cooling rate (GZ) and the crystallization activation energy (∆E) were determined. Small amounts of Ag nanoparticles dispersed into POM matrix were shown to act as heterogeneous nuclei, which could enhance the crystallization rate of POM, increase the number of POM spherulites and reduce POM spherulites size. However, the higher loading of Ag nanoparticles were easily aggregated, which restrained POM crystallization to some degree. Furthermore, the POM/Ag nanocomposites showed robust antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Highlights

Ag nanoparticles have received significant attention owing to their unique volume effect and quantum size as well as their high conductivity, excellent catalytic performance and broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities [1,2]
Ag nanoparticles synthesized by a facile the presence oleic acid and n-propylamine
The crystal structure of as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles was studied by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and size of the Agprimary nanoparticles surface of Ag10 nanoparticles was capped the average size ofwas theapproximately wasThe approximately nm

Summary

Introduction

Ag nanoparticles have received significant attention owing to their unique volume effect and quantum size as well as their high conductivity, excellent catalytic performance and broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities [1,2]. Polymers 2020, 12, 424 that PE/Ag nanocomposites of higher Ag nanoparticle concentrations (5 wt%) showed the highest Ag ion release and reached 99.99% efficacy against the bacteria after 24 h. Shi et al [12] investigated the influences of Ag content and crystallization temperature on the crystallization behavior and crystalline structure of polypropylene (PP)/Ag nanocomposites. They found that the PP nanocomposites with Ag nanoparticles had higher crystallization rate constant and the Avrami exponent than pure PP, indicating that the Ag nanoparticles acted as heterogeneous nucleating sites and increased the crystallization rate of PP. The antibacterial activities of hybrid films against

Methods

Results

Conclusion