Superparamagnetic Ag@Co‐Nanocomposites on Granulated Cation Exchange Polymeric Matrices with Enhanced Antibacterial Activity for the Environmentally Safe Purification of Water

Abstract

Cation exchange polymeric matrices are widely used in water treatment protocols to reduce the mineral content of hard waters, even for human consumption. However, they are not antibacterial and fl owing bacteria can be trapped in their structures and proliferate, thus acting as microbial contamination sources. Here, Ag@Co-nanoparticles (Ag@Co-NPs) with a low-cost superparamagnetic Co 0 -core and an antibacterial Ag-shell are synthesized on granulated cation exchange polymeric matrices under soft reaction conditions. The presence of these NPs provides the fi nal nanocomposite (NC) with additional functionalities (superparamagnetism and antibacterial activity) making it ideal for water purifi cation applications. Ag@Co-NPs are synthesized in situ on four cation exchange polymeric matrices containing either strong (sulfonic) or weak (carboxylic) acid functional groups homogeneously distributed (C-type) or concentrated on an external shell (SST-type) by the intermatrix synthesis (IMS) method. The NCs are characterized (metal content, NP size and distribution, metal oxidative state, and metal release) and evaluated for water purifi cation applications.

Engineering of crosslinked poly(isothiouronium methylstyrene) microparticles of narrow size distribution for antibacterial applications

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Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Decorated Magnetic-Chitosan Microsphere for Efficient Removal of Dyes and Microbial Contaminants

“…10,11 The development of alternative purification technology is therefore, urgently required for effective separation and removal of water contaminants. 12 The advances of nanoscience provide an opportunity to solve the technological constraint for the development of rapid, efficient and economically viable water purification technology. Nanostructured adsorbents 4,5,13,14 , nanofiltration membranes [15][16][17][18] and photocatalytic degradation and/or reduction 19,20 techniques have recently demonstrated for the treatment of dye-bearing wastewater.…”

Polyurethane foams doped with stable silver nanoparticles as bactericidal and catalytic materials for the effective treatment of water

“…22 This intensification of the bactericidal activity could be first accredited to the higher load of AgNPs found in the nanocomposites obtained using the IMS procedure. However, when comparing the results here presented with other nanocomposites containing Ag prepared using the same synthetic methodology, but in different polymeric matrices (fibers, 27,37 membranes, 39 and resin beads 40 ) and with higher AgNP loads, the mortality rate of the PUF-AgNPs appeared to be up to 2 orders of magnitude higher. This exceptional result states not only for the synthetic methodology, but also for the suitable usefulness of the polymeric matrix employed.…”