A facile and “Green” route has been applied to fabricate graphene oxide (GO) reinforced polymer composites utilizing “deionized water” as solvent. The GO was reinforced into water soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (PAMPS) matrix by ultrasonication followed by mechanical stirring. The incorporation and dispersion of the GO in the polymer matrix were analyzed by XRD, FE-SEM, AFM, FT-IR, and TGA. Further, the FE-SEM and AFM images revealed that the surface roughness and agglomeration of the GO in the polymer matrix increased by increasing its concentration. Ionic exchange capacity, proton conductivity, and tensile texture results showed that the reinforcement of GO in the polymer matrix enhances the physicochemical properties of the host polymer. These PVA/PAMPS/GO nanocomposites showed improved mechanical stability compared to the pristine polymer, because of strong interfacial interactions within the components and homogeneous dispersion of the GO sheets in the PVA/PAMPS matrix.
We have reported the preparation and antibacterial activities of leaf extract incorporated polycarbonate thin films to improve the antibacterial characteristics of host polycarbonates (PCs). Crude extracts of Azadirachta indica, Psidium guajava, Acalypha indica, Andrographis paniculata, and Ocimum sanctum were prepared by maceration using Dimethylformamide as solvent. The leaf extracts (LE) were incorporated into the PC matrix by solution blending method, and the thin films were fabricated by Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) technique. The antibacterial activities of the as-prepared films were evaluated against E. coli and S. aureus by disk diffusion method. The inhibitory effects of the PC/LE films are higher for S. aureus than the E. coli, but pristine PC film did not exhibit any remarkable antibacterial characteristics. Further, the model fruit (Prunus) studies revealed that the PC/LE films retained the freshness of the fruits for more than 11 days. This study demonstrates that the PC/LE films have excellent antibacterial activities; thus, the films could be promising candidate for active antibacterial packaging applications.
The incorporation of carbonaceous nanofillers into polymers can result in significant materials with improved physicochemical properties and novel composite functionalities. In this study, we have fabricated antibacterial, lightweight, transparent, and flexible graphene oxide (GO) reinforced polycarbonate thin films by a facile and low-cost methodology. Solution blending is employed to get a homogeneous mixture of PC-GO composites at various loading of GO, and the thin films are prepared by dry-wet phase inversion technique. Thermal studies and micrographs of the films revealed the incorporation of GO in PC matrix. Microstructure of the thin films showed the homogeneous dispersion of GO at micro-and nanoscales; however, at higher loading of GO (0.7%), significant agglomeration is observed. More importantly, PC-GO composite films exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus, owing to the antibacterial nature of GO nanoparticles.
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