One pot fabrication of optically active and efficient antibacterial poly(amide-benzimidazole-imide)/Ag bionanocomposite

Poly(amide-benzimidazole-imide) (PABI) containing silver nanoparticles was fabricated through in situ procedure using DMF as a common solvent which leads to spontaneous slow reduction at ambient temperature. UV/vis technique verified silver nanoparticles formation in the polymer matrix. The silver nanoparticles presence was also confirmed using various characterization techniques and their dispersion was verified by microscopic studies (TEM and FE-SEM analysis) which revealed good dispersion of Ag nanoparticles in PABI matrix without aggregation in nano scales sized. Antibacterial properties of the synthesized polymer and PABI/Ag bionanocomposite (BNC) were evaluated against two Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Impregnation of silver nanoparticles inside the material caused a growth inhibition ring against both bacteria showing antibacterial effectiveness of the nano-material rather than the basic polymer. In addition, in vitro soil burial and weight loss tests were also performed for evaluation of PABI and PABI/Ag BNC biodegradation behavior. PABI/Ag BNC significantly decreased soil bacterial population but increased fungal population compared to PABI buried. However, weight loss was not significantly different for both compounds when they were exposed to colonization by fungal saprophytes for 3 months. At least in spite of having antibacterial behavior, nanoparticle-impregnated material could be decomposed in natural ecosystems due to fungal biodegradations.