Enhancing physico-chemical and antibacterial properties of gamma irradiated poly (vinyl alcohol) films filled with silver-bagasse fiber nanocomposite

Abstract Recently, environmental pollution and inhibition of non-degradable and non-renewable resources have attracted researchers to develop a new kind of natural products. Fibers obtained from natural sources provide certain assistance to synthetic fibers because of their characteristics such as low cost, low density, non-toxicity and similar strength, and they do not encounter any problem during the disposal of materials into the environment. Silver nano-hybrid materials are getting much attention in antibacterial applications, due to its bactericidal nature. In this study, nanosilver-bagasse (Ag-bagasse) fiber as a nanocomposite was successfully prepared by using gamma radiolysis method. The Ag-bagasse fibers were blended with PVA at different weight ratioto improveits physicochemical and antimicrobial capabilities. All prepared films were exposed to 25 kGy of gamma radiation. Various analytical techniques are utilized to investigate the crystal structures, functional groups and surface morphology of the prepared Ag-bagasse fiber and PVA nanocomposite films. XRD shows the formation of silver nanoparticles over bagasse fiber in a single phase with an average crystallite size 10.89 nm. The mechanical properties of nanocomposite films obtained with different amounts of Ag-bagasse fiber reinforcement have been demonstrated. The PVA films were strengthened by the addition of Ag-bagassefiber and the optimum ratio was 5 wt%. Owing to the addition of Ag in the biopolymer matrices, the PVA/8 % Ag-bagasse nanocomposite film demonstrated good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli , Salmonella typhimurium , Staphylococcus aureus , and Bacillus subtilis . The utilization of bagasse fiber can boost the economic worth of agricultural waste, and the unique characteristics of PVA/Ag-bagasse nanocomposites may find application in the packaging and medical industries.