Synthesis of Antibacterial Hydrogel Nanocomposite Adsorbents Based on Carboxylated RAFT Agent/Ag Nanoparticles for Effective Dye Adsorption

In this study, a novel hydrogel nanocomposite was synthesized via surface reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of acrylic acid onto chitosan in the presence of silver nanoparticles. The structure and composition of the as-prepared nanocomposites were identified by FTIR, XRD, UV–Vis, SEM and TEM techniques. The prepared nanocomposite was used as an excellent product for the adsorption of crystal violet cationic dye. The experimental results depicted that the solution pH, dye concentration and temperature had high effect on dye adsorption capacities. The isotherm and kinetics models of the dye adsorption of nanocomposites were investigated. Moreover, the thermodynamic data demonstrated that the adsorption behavior of dyes were spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the synthesized nanocomposites showed an antibacterial effect on Gram-negative E. coli bacterium. In summary, the obtained results depicted that the prepared dye adsorbents with unique properties of high adsorption capacities, easy recovery and antibacterial properties can be used as ideal candidates for many applications such as wastewater treatment, biological systems and wound dressing.