Synthesis, characterization and biological applications of biosilica based composites

Agricultural wastes like sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, wheat husk, rice hull are the cheapest sources of biosilica (BS). In this study, sugarcane bagasse was used to extract biosilica by chemical treatment and combined with silk fibroin (SF), Polyurethane Foam (PUF) and TiO2 to prepare a novel biocomposites BS/SF/PUF and BS/SF/PUF/TiO2. The prepared biocomposites were analyzed using FT-IR and SEM analysis. The presence of various functional groups and the formation of biocomposites were confirmed by the FT-IR studies. The SEM analysis displayed rough surface morphology of the biocomposites. The antioxidant properties were studied using the DPPH assay. The biocomposites exhibited excellent antioxidant properties. The antimicrobial activities of the biocomposites were studied against three bacterial (Bacillus sp., Klebsiella sp. and Proteus sp.) and three fungal strains (Rhizopus sp., Aspergillus niger and Candida sp.). The results revealed that the prepared biocomposites were active against the selected bacterial and fungal species