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Long-term antimicrobial polyamide 6/silver-nanocomposites

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Abstract

Elemental silver nanoparticles were generated in polyamide 6 (PA6) by the thermal reduction of silver ions during the melt processing of a PA6/silver acetate mixture. The silver ion release from PA6 filled with 2 wt% nanosilver obeys a zero-order rate law for at least 100 days. During this time about 17 μg silver per day, per litre immersion liquid and per cm2 sample surface are released. The PA6/Ag-nanocomposite was shown to be active against Escherichia coli whereas the pure PA6 did not show any antimicrobial efficacy. Immersion of a nanocomposite containing 2 wt% silver in water for 100 days does not reduce its antimicrobial efficacy against Escherichia coli. Thus PA6 filled with 2 wt% nanosilver is an effective antimicrobial material for long-term applications.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful for financial support from the German Research Foundation (DFG). Many thanks to Dr. E. Ingolic and Dr. H. Schröttner from the Research Center of Electron Microscopy in Graz (Austria) for performing TEM investigations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute of Polymer Materials, Martensstrasse 7, 91058, Erlangen, Germany

    Cornelia Damm & Helmut Münstedt

  2. Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute of Microbiology, Staudtstrasse 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany

    Alfons Rösch

Authors
  1. Cornelia Damm
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  2. Helmut Münstedt
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  3. Alfons Rösch
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Correspondence to Cornelia Damm.

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Damm, C., Münstedt, H. & Rösch, A. Long-term antimicrobial polyamide 6/silver-nanocomposites. J Mater Sci 42, 6067–6073 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-1158-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-1158-5

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