Open AccessInvestigation of antibacterial properties of polyacrylonitrile fibers modified by new functional groups and silver nanoparticles
Author(s) -
ZEYNEP OKAY,
Meryem Kalkan Erdoğan,
BAŞAR KARACA,
MERAL KARAKIŞLA,
MEHMET SAÇAK
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
turkish journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.239
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1303-6130
pISSN - 1300-0527
DOI - 10.55730/1300-0527.3422
Subject(s) - polyacrylonitrile , itaconic acid , silver nanoparticle , copolymer , acrylic acid , monomer , chemistry , fiber , grafting , polymer chemistry , nanoparticle , surface modification , chemical engineering , synthetic fiber , antistatic agent , electrospinning , composite number , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , acrylonitrile , nuclear chemistry , polymer , materials science , composite material , organic chemistry , layer (electronics) , engineering
This work reports the surface modification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers by graft copolymerization to ensure the decoration of homogenous and dense Ag nanoparticles. Two facile and subsequent modification processes resulted in a PAN fiber composite with an intact fibrous structure, sufficiently conductive for antistatic application and antibacterial activity. In the first step, some chemically attractive monomers and monomer mixtures, such as acrylic acid (AA), AA-itaconic acid (AA-IA), AA-acrylamide (AA-AAm), were introduced to the fiber surface by grafting. The grafting process was evidenced by FTIR, 1 H-NMR, and SEM techniques. The second step aimed to form a chelate structure by Ag + ions with the coordination centers imparted to the PAN structure, and then, Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were decorated on the copolymer fiber surfaces by reducing with the NaBH 4 . The presence, distribution, and changes that occurred after the AgNPs decoration were also monitored by the SEM technique. It was obtained that the AgNPs could not be easily removed from the composites, which presented an appearance as if they were dyed with Ag. It was determined that the composite fibers gained a certain degree of conductivity with the surface resistivity value of 10 9 -10 2 Ω/cm 2 . The antibacterial activity of the composites against E. coli and S. aureus was examined by the zone of inhibition test compared to their detergent-washed samples.