In Situ Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles on Cellulose Fibers Using D-Glucuronic Acid and Its Antibacterial Application

The development of ecofriendly procedures to avoid the use of toxic chemicals for the synthesis of stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is highly desired. In the present study, we reported an eco-friendly and green technique for in situ fabrication of AgNPs on bleached hardwood pulp fibers (bhpFibers) using D-glucuronic acid as the only reducing agent. Different amounts of D-glucuronic acid were introduced and its effect on the size and distribution of AgNPs on the bhpFibers was discussed. The morphology and structures of bhpFibers@AgNPs were proved by electron microscope-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Then, a series of bhpFibers@AgNPs with different AgNPs loadings were also prepared by adjusting the concentration of the AgNO(3) solution. After a papermaking process via vacuum filtration, the prepared papers displayed an outstanding antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli (gram -negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive). It is foreseeable that the bhpFibers@AgNPs have a promising application in the field of biomedical.