Antibacterial ethylene propylene rubber impregnated with silver nanopowder: AgNP@EPR

• Main Authors: Marzieh Miranzadeh, Mohammad Zaman Kassaee, Leila Sadeghi, Mohsen Sadroddini, Mehdi Razzaghi Kashani, Nima Khoramabadi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iranian Chemical Society 2016-01-01
• Series: Nanochemistry Research
• Subjects: antibacterial activity; arc discharge; escherichia coli; ethylene propylene rubber (epr); silver nanopowder; staphylococcus aureus
• Online Access: http://www.nanochemres.org/article_11567_786e5f229823253e5d3bbb0ec8ec9a70.pdf

Following our interest in reaching for a molded rubber article with possible detergent contact applications, durable silver nanopowder (AgNP) is synthesized by arc discharge, then mixed with varying ratios of ethylene propylene rubber (EPR), affording novel AgNP@EPR nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of AgNP as well as AgNP@EPR show no trace of impurity, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicates an average diameter of 50 nm for the former. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images while confirm the SEM results, show quite a few 5 nm AgNP particles lying beside some micro crumbs. Our DC arc discharge technique involves explosion of movable silver anode and static cathode by a current pulse between 5 to 10 A cm-2. A solution blending method is employed for preparation of AgNP@EPR nanocomposites. The AgNP is first dispersed in toluene using an ultrasonic homogenizer, and then thoroughly mixed with EPR in the same solvent whose removal gives nanocomposites of 2, 4, 6 and 8 vol% AgNP in EPR,  showing strong antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.