Nanocomposites and nanomaterials

Silver-containing polymer nanocomposites with effective antiviral and antimicrobial action
V.L. Demchenko1,2, S.V. Riabov1, M.V. Iurzhenko1,2, S.M. Kobylinskyi1,     K.S. Naumenko3, N.P. Rybalchenko3 О.M. Demchenko4
1Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of NAS of Ukraine,48 Kharkivske shose, Kyiv, 02160, Ukraine, dvaleriyl@ukr.net
2E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of NAS of Ukraine, 11 Kazymyra Malevycha, Kyiv 03680, Ukraine
3D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of NAS of Ukraine, 154 Acad. Zabolotny, Kyiv 03680, Ukraine
4National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of NAMS of Ukraine, 53 Ilyenko, Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine

In the last two decades, interest in the synthesis and study of structural organization and properties of polymer nanocomposites, in particular filled with nanosized particles of metals or their oxides, is growing, which opens wide opportunities for their use in high-tech fields such as biomedicine, catalysis, optics, microelectronics and others. Structure, morphology, thermomechanical and antimicrobial and antiviral properties of two types of nanocomposites – PLA-Ag-PEI and PLA-Ag-chitosan, formed by the thermochemical reduction of Ag+ in polymer films have been investigated using WAXS (wide-angle X-ray scattering), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), thermomechanical analysis; antimicrobial and antiviral activity has also been studied. It was found that thermochemical reduction of Ag+ ions in the bulk of polymer films, when using synthetic or natural polymers (polyethyleneimine or chitosan) as a reducing and stabilizing agent of silver nanoparticles occurs at 160 °C during 5 minutes. It was found that average size of Ag nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix is equal to 6.7 nm and 4.2 nm for PEI and chitosan, respectively. It is shown that PLA-Ag-chitosan nanocomposites have much higher antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli strains comparing to PLA-Ag-PEI nanocomposites. The antiviral activity of silver-containing nanocomposites based on polylactide against adenovirus and influenza A virus was revealed. It was found that the studied nanocomposites do not show cytotoxic effects.
The work was performed with financial support Grant from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (Development of nanocomposite polymeric biomaterials with effective antiviral and antimicrobial effect and 3D printing technology of resulting products. Application ID 2020.01/0222).