Abstract

Silver nanoparticles were incorporated into poly-{methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate-acrylic acid} using two different approaches. The first approach was based on dispersing the nano silver particles in acrylic latex (previously synthesized by the emulsion polymerization) and the second is the in-situ polymerization of acrylate monomers in the presence of silver nanoparticles by Mini emulsion polymerization. Mini emulsion polymerization can yield a better dispersion of nano silver in the polymeric particles because organic particles can be dispersed directly in the monomer droplets becoming encapsulated upon polymerization. Morphological investigations were performed using SEM and TEM. FTIR and thermal analyses revealed the silver nanoparticles to be located in the polymeric structure of latex. The nanocomposite latex was compared with the neat latex of the same monomer structure. A comparison of these results showed an increase in the degradation temperature and glass transition temperature (T g ) compared to the blank latex. The antibacterial properties were determined using the disc diffusion method against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli). The nanocomposite synthesized via in situ Mini emulsion polymerization showed highly potent antibacterial activity toward both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria comparing the neat latex and the blended nanocomposite, which makes it useful for a wide range of biomedical and general applications. © 2011 The Polymer Society of Korea and Springer Netherlands.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

acrylate; antibacterial activity; miniemulsion polymerization; nanosilver; synthesis

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2092-7673; 1598-5032

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Springer, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2011

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