Preparation and Properties of Green Sustainable Xylan-Based Silver Nanoscale Antibacterial Hydrogel

Nanosilver antibacterial hydrogel is one of the most common wound dressings in our daily lives. However, in the practical preparation and application of AgNPs in antibacterial hydrogels, issues such as aggregation, unstable and nonuniform dispersion, and relatively large particle sizes often occur, significantly affecting the hydrogel’s antibacterial effectiveness. In this study, we used silver nitrate as the silver source, xylan as the reducing agent, and GO as a carrier. Through microwave-assisted heating, we synthesized in-situ graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-GO). Various methods, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, particle size analysis, and transmission electron microscopy, were employed to investigate the impact of silver nitrate concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature on the size and dispersion of synthesized silver nanoparticles. The results showed that when the silver nitrate dosage was 0.3[Formula: see text]g, the reaction temperature was [Formula: see text]C, and the reaction time was 25[Formula: see text]min, well-dispersed, uniformly sized spherical silver nanoparticles (approximately 30[Formula: see text]nm) were obtained. Then, AgNPs-GO-PAM hydrogels were prepared by adding AgNPs-GO into PAM hydrogel. The mechanical performance and antibacterial activity of the antibacterial hydrogel were investigated. The findings revealed that the addition of AgNPs-GO not only enhanced the mechanical performance of the hydrogel but also resulted in a hydrogel with good antibacterial properties.