Synthesis of Ag nanoparticles loaded with potassium polyacrylate hydrogel for rose bengal dye removal and antibacterial activity

Silver nanoparticles have recently gained significant attention due to their remarkable properties as photocatalysts and antimicrobial agents. However, their widespread use has been hampered by several issues such as aggregation and stabilization. To address these challenges, this study explores the incorporation of silver nanoparticles within potassium polyacrylate (PPA) hydrogel. The integration process was accomplished through in-situ reduction of silver ions using sodium borohydride. The synthesized PPA/Ag nanocomposite was characterized by using UV-visible, XRD, SEM, and FTIR techniques. The silver nitrate (AgNO3) sample had an indirect optical bandgap of 3.3 eV, but adding PPA decreased it to 2.42 eV. The prepared PPA/Ag composites exhibited superior photocatalytic activity in the degradation of rose bengal dye. The highest degradation efficiency of 95% was observed for PPA/Ag (16 mM), while the lowest efficiency of 88% was recorded for PPA/Ag (10 mM). To assess the antibacterial effectiveness of the four PPA/Ag samples (2 mM, 5 mM, 10 mM, and 16 mM) against various bacteria such as E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus, the agar diffusion technique was employed. The results show that the largest inhibition zones were achieved in the presence of PPA/Ag (2 mM) samples against E. coli and P. aeruginosa bacterial strains, while PPA/Ag (10 mM) presented a better effect against S. aureus than the other prepared samples. Additionally, the prepared samples demonstrated excellent antimicrobial properties against diverse microorganisms. This finding makes PPA/Ag potentially useful in applications such as wastewater treatment and wound healing.