Lignosulfonic Acid Based Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Antimicrobial Application

Hydrogels in which poly(acryl amide)/lignosulfonic acid (AAm/LSA) crosslinked with N,N’-methylene bis acrylamide, were prepared by using a redox polymerization technique. These hydrogel networks can act as excellent nano reactors for producing and stabilizing the metal nanoparticles. The current methodology allows us to entrap metal nanoparticles throughout hydrogel networks via AAm/ LSA chains. The synthesized silver nano composite hydrogels (Ag-NCHs) were fully characterized by using UV-visible spectroscopy; Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The chemical structure and crosslinking in AAm/LSA hydrogels and Ag-NCHs matrix was analyzed by FTIR. SEM and TEM measurements suggested the spherical structure of the silver particles with smooth surface and size of these particles confirmed by DLS. Crystalline nature of the nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD and electron diffraction measurements. Swelling studies were performed in water with the help of an empirical equation to investigate the diffusion mechanism. The developed Ag-NCHs were evaluated for preliminary antibacterial applications against E.coli and Bacillus.