Fabrication of Biopolymer Hydrogel Containing Ag Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Property

Hemicelluloses-based hydrogel coated with Ag nanoparticles was prepared by reduction of Ag Ions in cross-linked dialdehyde hemicelluloses (DHC)/chitosan hydrogels, and the hydrogel network was fabricated from two kind's of macromolecules from biobased materials. This is an effective and environmental approach, which is developed to introduce an antimicrobial property into the hydrogel network without any reductants. The hydrogel was formed through the Schiff base reaction between the amino groups of chitosan chains and the aldehyde groups of DHC. The swelling property of the hydrogel decreased from 1129 to 54.8 g/g after the addition Of silver ions. Importantly, the DHC/chitosan/Ag hydrogel possessed antimicrobial activity against the model microbes Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), which is a promising antimicrobial material for applications in the biomedical field.