In situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles on bamboo viscose fibers.

In this study, a facile method for preparation of bamboo viscose fibers composite silver nanoparticles by in-situ synthesis was investigated. The bamboo viscose fiber was used as both reducing and protecting agents, and it was reacted with different concentrations of AgNO₃ solutions under high temperature and high pressure. The structure and properties of the composites were analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectroscopy analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the reaction products are spherical or near-spherical silver nanoparticles with the face-centered cubic geometry. The silver nanoparticles are dispersed uniformly on the surface of the bamboo viscose fibers with the size range of 10–60 nm. A mechanism was proposed where the silver nanoparticles are uniformly loaded onto the bamboo viscose fibers by bonding with the hydroxyl groups containing in the cellulose macromolecules. The antibacterial properties of the bamboo viscose fiber/silver nanoparticles against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were tested by inhibition zone and dynamic shake flask methods. The results show that when the concentration of AgNO₃ solution participating in the reaction was 0.001 M, the antibacterial rate of the composite material on the two kinds of bacteria could reach more than 99%. According to these results, the bamboo viscose fiber/silver nanoparticles nanocomposites with the excellent antibacterial properties offer a potential opportunity to be used as functional antimicrobial fabrics and medical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]