In situ synthesis of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) decorated with silver nanoparticles using pulsed electrical discharge in contact with water interface

Abstract Currently, the combination between metal nanoparticles and polymers have gathered some attention, especially in the case of a polymer like poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) which is a temperature-responsive polymer that changes from hydrophilic to hydrophobic at around 32 °C. This property together with the innate properties of silver nanoparticles (e.g. thermal and antimicrobial activity) poses an interesting option for a nanocomposite that can be used as drug carrier, tissue scaffold, and many other biomedical applications. In-situ synthesis performed by pulsed discharges has barely been reported nor has been fully researched. In this work, in-situ synthesis was performed by variating the ratio of NIPAM and silver nitrate solution, resulting in square shaped nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 50 to 500 nm distributed in the polymer matrix and sphere-shaped nanoparticles entangled in the polymer matrix. These results demonstrate an interesting and novel synthesis process for nanomaterial composites with future biomedical applications. Graphical Abstract