Silver Nanoparticles/Gelatin Composite: A New Class of Antibacterial Material

Abstract

A simple and fast, one-step, cost effective protocol for silver nanoparticle (AgNP) synthesis has been reported. AgNO3 is reduced using black cardamom (B.C.) extract to produce nanoparticles. Variable size nanoparticles were obtained by choosing the different composition of a reaction mixture comprised of AgNO3 solution and B.C. extract. Nanoparticle formation was monitored by the color change of reaction mixture as well as by UV-Visible spectroscopy. AgNPs has been characterized thoroughly by XRD and TEM analysis for shape and size. A plausible mechanism for reduction of Ag+ has been proposed based on oxidation products of 1,8-cineole, which is one of the major components of B.C. extract. A very important application of these AgNPs has also been shown by preparing AgNP-gelatin composite to check its activity against different strains of bacteria. The results suggest excellent antibacterial activities of the above-mentioned composite films, which can be further developed as antibacterial films for different purposes. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim