abstract
Silver has been mainly investigated as an antibacterial agent and less as a fungicide in which concerns antimicrobial properties. In this research, the antifungal activity of composite films of pullulan and Ag nanoparticles (NP) against Aspergillus niger was evaluated using standard protocols. These new materials were prepared as transparent cast films (66-74 mu m thickness) from Ag hydrosols containing the polysaccharide. Fungal growth inhibition was observed in the presence of such silver nanocomposite films. Moreover, disruption of the spores cells of A. niger was probed for the first time by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This effect occurred in the presence of the nanocomposites due to Ag NP dispersed as fillers in pullulan. This polysaccharide was used here as a biocompatible matrix, hence making these nanocomposites beneficial for the development of antifungal packaging materials. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY; NANOPARTICLES; INFECTIONS; POLYMERS; FIBERS; AGENTS; GOLD
subject category
Biophysics; Chemistry; Materials Science
authors
Pinto, RJB; Almeida, A; Fernandes, SCM; Freire, CSR; Silvestre, AJD; Neto, CP; Trindade, T
our authors
Armando Jorge Domingues Silvestre
Full professor
Carlos Pascoal Neto
Raiz Director
Carmen Sofia da Rocha Freire Barros
Coordinating Researcher
Ricardo Pinto
Researcher
Tito Trindade
Full professoracknowledgements
R. Pinto is grateful to FCT for a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/45364/2008). Susana C.M. Fernandes thanks FCT for funding her Postdoctoral Research Grant (SFRH/BPD/70119/2010). We thank Dr Marcia Neves for her kind assistance in the XRD analyses. The authors also thank FCT for funding CICECO (Pest-C/CTM/LA0011/2011) and CESAM (Pest-C/MAR/LA0017/2011).