Silver impregnated bacterial cellulose-chitosan composite hydrogels for antibacterial and catalytic applications

The current study was aimed to develop bacterial cellulose (BC) composites synergistically with polymer (Chitosan (chi)) and a nanomaterial (green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using an Azadirachta indica leaves extract). BC-Chi-Ag composites were developed through ex-situ composite development strategy and evaluated for their structural, biological and catalytic activities. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) displayed the impregnation of Chi and AgNPs in porous BC network. The composite formulation was further confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis which showed the presence of additional crystallinic peaks together with pure BC ones. Bactericidal assays of BC-Chi-Ag composites against modern pathogen including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli depicted significant reduction in growth results compared to pure BC. Kapp value were found to be 0.37081 min−1 and 0.35108 min−1 for catalytic reduction of Rh B and 4-NP, respectively. High bactericidal and catalytic potentials of synthesized BC-Chi-Ag composites seriously justify their potential applications in medical and environmental fields.