Development of semi-interpenetrating carbohydrate polymeric hydrogels embedded silver nanoparticles and its facile studies on E. coli

Semi-interpenetrating carbohydrate polymer network [semi-IPN] hydrogels are composed with combination of carbohydrate polymers, chitosan and sodium alginate with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The semi-IPN carbohydrate hydrogels were successfully synthesized by using free radical polymerization technique. Silver nanopaticles were formed by reduction of silver nitrate in semi-IPN carbohydrate hydrogels with sodium borohydrate under room temperature. The formation of silver nanoparticles in hydrogels were well characterized by using UV–visible spectroscopy, thermo gravimetrical analysis, X-ray diffractrometry studies, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies. Thermal and X-ray driffraction analysis confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles in semi-IPN hydrogel. SEM images indicated clearly the formation of group of silver nanoparticles with size range of 10–20 nm. The sizes of silver nanoparticles were also supported by transmission electron microscopy results. The silver nanoparticles in semi-IPN hydrogel showed very good antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli, thus it reveals that the silver nanoparticles are acting as excellent antibiotics.