High antimicrobial activity of new eco‐friendly and biocompatible nanocomposite based on the AgCl-decorated poly(sodium acrylate) cryogel

This study addresses the preparation of antibacterial agent-decorated cryogels, AgCl nanoparticles-decorated poly(sodium acrylate) (AgCl/PSA) cryogel at different AgCl Wt.%, and their antibacterial application investigation. Cryogels are formed by conducting a polymerization reaction in a semi-frozen system where the ice crystals (for aqueous systems) act as the porogens, resulting in a highly interconnected porous network. The prepared samples were characterized with XRD, AFM, and SEM. AFM images show that the AgCl nanoparticles concentration decorated on the surface of PSA cryogel influenced the surface topography of cryogel nanocomposites. Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were selected as exemplary gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria for antibacterial testing. The prepared cryogel nanocomposite samples showed a 4.5-7.0 log reduction of viable bacteria in the antibacterial test. The PSA/AgCl-10 cryogel as the best sample was also highly reusable over six cycles of antibacterial test operation. Due to their simple operation, ease of deployment, and high antibacterial performance, the synthesized AgCl-decorated cryogels offer great promise for different applications.