Preparation and properties of cellulose/silver nanocomposite fibers

We prepared cellulose/silver nanocomposite fibers by soaking the cellulose fibers in AgNO3 aqueous solution, which was heated at 80 degrees C for 24h to synthesize Ag nanoparticles in situ. The structure and properties of the composite fibers were characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmitting electron microscopy (TEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing. The content and diameter of the Ag nanoparticles (NPs) increased from 0.15% to 2.40% and from 7.2 nm to 12.5 nm, respectively. In our findings, the pores of the cellulose fiber at wet state were used as a microreactor to synthesize Ag nanopariticles. The cellulose/Ag nanocomposite fibers exhibited good mechanical properties and thermal stability. Antibacterial experiment revealed excellent antibacterial activity of the cellulose nanocomposite fibers against Staphylococcus aureus. The cellulose/silver nanocomposite fibers would have great potential in antibacterial textile and wound handling due to easy industrialization. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.