Fabrication and Characterization of Silver−Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanocomposites

Abstract

The influence of silver (Ag) nanoparticles on the properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was investigated. The nanocomposite was prepared by mixing a colloidal solution consisting of silver nanoparticles with a water solution of PVA in appropriate ratios. Composite films with different contents of inorganic phase were obtained after solvent evaporation. The contents of the inorganic phase in the nanocomposites were determined by using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA) for silver, and were found to be 0.19, 0.33, and 0.73 wt %. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the nanocomposite films revealed the presence of Ag particles with average diameter of 20 nm. Comparison of the thermal properties of the pure polymer and the nanocomposite films showed that the thermal stability is improved by about 40 °C, and the glass transition temperature is shifted to a higher temperature up to 20 °C for the highest content of the nanofiller. An increase in Young's modulus and strength of the nanocomposite was also observed with an increase in Ag content, indicating significant reinforcement of the matrix in the presence of nanoparticles. Stress relaxation measurements revealed reduced stability of the nanocomposite upon prolonged loading, compared to the pure PVA matrix.

Antimicrobial Properties of Nanostructured Hydrogel Webs Containing Silver

“…These data are consistent with previous reports that incorporation of AgNO 3 in hydrogels is effective in preventing microbial biofilm formation. 27,28,[47][48][49] Uniquely, the nanofibrous silver-containing mat showed significantly prolonged effects when compared to the cast film also containing silver. After incubation for 6 days, a few E. coli cells can be observed on the surface of the cast film initially incorporating 1.0 wt % AgNO 3 , as shown in Figure 3iii (Day 6).…”

Fabrication and Characterization of Antibacterial Polyurethane Acrylate-based Materials

“…The antimicrobial properties of Ag hold significant promise; the development of bacterial resistance 1,3 , the mechanism of action 6,7 , toxicology 8,9 and clinical utility has been studied greatly for medical applications 10,11 . Nowadays, polymer modified with silver nanoparticles combinations were studied for a range of non-medical applications 12 , where their electrical conductivity 13 , light scattering and catalytic activity was demonstrated to be valuable 14,15 . The literature contains several works on synthesis of nano silver particle modified coating materials have been investigated 13,[16][17][18] .…”

Silver nanoparticle polymer composite based humidity sensor

“…The role of PVA as a successful capping agent is well documented [24][25][26][27] . It was also observed that without the presence of the PVA, the stability of the colloids was drastically reduced with metallic silver formed due to aggregation of nanoparticles.…”

“…It was necessary to optimise the preparation method as the ratio between Ag + and BH 4 -in the literature seemed to be unclear and usually BH 4 -was added in great excess [24][25][26][27][28] . There is a competing reduction of water by BH 4 -and it was felt useful to determine the stoichiometry of the reaction; Job's method was used for this purpose.…”

“…In the case of a metal nanoparticle, the surface plasmon mode is 'restricted' due to the small dimensions to which the electrons are confined, i.e. the surface plasmon mode must conform to the boundaries of the dimensions of the nanoparticle [27] . Therefore the resonance frequency of the surface plasmon oscillation of the metal nanoparticle is different from the plasma frequency of the bulk metal.…”