Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess strong antibacterial effect. The current trend is to incorporate AgNPs into functional materials that benefit from their bactericidal capabilities. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is routinely used for the controlled release of medicine thanks to its slow dissolution in water and could be used as a matrix for the controlled release of AgNPs, if a method to produce such a material without the need of other reactants was developed. We proposed such a method in a photochemical reduction of AgNO3 in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) solutions by the illumination of the mixture with the light emitting diode bulb for about 2 h. These AgNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and their diameter was found to be mostly under 100 nm. The colloids were then easily transformed into solid samples by drying, lyophilization and spin-coating. The slowly soluble HPMC was found to be able to release the AgNPs gradually over the duration of several hours. Antibacterial activity of the prepared colloids and the solid samples was tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis and was found to be very high, reaching the total elimination of the bacteria in the studied systems.
Highlights
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are an intensively studied material due to their unique antibacterial properties combined with relatively low production costs
AgNP colloids were prepared in Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) solutions by photochemical reduction method without the presence of additional reducing or stabilizing agents
The prepared colloid dispersions were used for the simple preparation of solid composite samples by drying, lyophilization and spin-coating methods
Summary
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are an intensively studied material due to their unique antibacterial properties combined with relatively low production costs. These particular properties predetermine the AgNPs for applications in areas such as functional textiles, active food packaging, medicine, cosmetics, ecology and many others [1,2,3,4]. AgNPs have recently been used as additives for their antiseptic and preservative function in, e.g., acne treatment products [5]. AgNPs supported on graphene oxide were infused into polyviscose pads to form antibacterial functional textile [8].
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