Green in situ fabrication of silver nanoparticles coated silk using Premna serratifolia leaf aqueous extract

We are happy to announce that Dr. Hoang Le Thuy Thuy Trang and colleagues recently published their work entitled “Green in situ fabrication of silver nanoparticles coated silk using Premna serratifolia leaf aqueous extract”  in the Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (Springer).

Abstract:

Nano-functionalization has recently become an interesting research field, addressing the microbial-related disadvantages of silk. For the first time, this study presents an in situ generation of silver nanoparticle (AgNPs)-coated silk using Premna serratifolia leaf aqueous extract. AgNPs formation was confirmed through visible color change and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses indicated the optimal conditions at pH 9.0 and 4 mM AgNO3, resulting in spherical, monodispersed, and stable nanoparticles with average particle size and hydrodynamic size of 9.7 and 30 nm, respectively. The attachment of AgNPs on the silk fabric was confirmed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, with the silver content quantified at 0.27 % using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). In the antibacterial assay, AgNPs-coated silk showed significant enhancement compared to original silk. Excellent inhibition of treated silk of over 99.78 % against S. aureus and over 99.99 % against Escherichia coli were recorded, persisting even after 5 to 10 washing cycles. The outstanding antibacterial effects and good washing durability strongly support the use of P. serratifolia leaf aqueous extract as a potential plant-based agent for generating AgNP-coated silk textiles.