Preparation, Characterization and Antibacterial Curcumin Encapsulated Chitosan-PAA Silver Nanocomposite Films

In this paper, we demonstrate the in situ fabrication of chitosan-poly (acrylic acid)-silver nanocomposite films in view of their increasing applications as antimicrobial packaging, wound dressing and antibacterial materials. The reduction of silver ions into silver nanoparticles is achieved in acidic solution of chitosan and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) using their functional groups (-OH, -COOH, -NH2 groups). The structure of nanocomposite film was examined by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM). The anti-microbial activities of the chitosan- PAA silver nanoparticle films have demonstrated significant effects against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus. To improve further their therapeutic efficacy as anti-microbial agents, curcumin encapsulated chitosan-PAA silver nanocomposite films are developed which improve the growth inhibition of E. coli and Staphylococcus compared to curcumin and chitosan-PAA silver nanoparticles film alone. Therefore, the present study clearly provides novel antimicrobial films which are potentially useful in preventing/treating infections.