Activity of Antimicrobial Silver Polystyrene Nanocomposites

Year: 2012

Authors: Palomba M., Carotenuto G., Cristino L., Di Grazia M.A., Nicolais F., De Nicola S.

Autors Affiliation: Istituto per i Materiali Compositi e Biomedici, CNR, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy;
Istituto di Cibernetica, CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy;
Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Sociali e della Comunicazione, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, 84084 Fisciano, Italy;
Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy;
INFN Sezione di Napoli, Via Cintia (Complesso Monte S. Angelo), 80126 Napoli, Italy

Abstract: A simple technique based on doping polymers with in situ generated silver nanoparticles (Ag/PS films) has been developed. In particular, an antiseptic material has been prepared by dissolving silver 1,5-cyclooctadiene-hexafluoroacetylacetonate in amorphous polystyrene, and the obtained solid solution has been heated for ca. 10 s at a convenient temperature (180 degrees C). Under such conditions the metal precursor decomposes producing silver atoms that diffuse into the polymer and clusterize. The antimicrobial characteristics of the resulting polystyrene-based material have been accurately evaluated toward Escherichia coli (E. coli) comparing the cytotoxicity effect of 10wt.% and 30wt.% (drastic and mild annealing) silver-doped polystyrene to the corresponding pure micrometric silver powder. Two different bacterial viability assays were performed in order to demonstrate the cytotoxic effect of Ag/PS films on cultured E. coli: (1) turbidimetric determination of optical density; (2) BacLight fluorescence-based test. Both methods have shown that silver-doped polystyrene (30wt.%) provides higher antibacterial activity than pure Ag powder, under similar concentration and incubation conditions.

Journal/Review: JOURNAL OF NANOMATERIALS

KeyWords: nanoparticles; antimicrobial; polymeric materials; nanotechnology;
DOI: 10.1155/2012/185029

Citations: 19
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