Preparation and properties of peroxide prevulcanized natural rubber/Ag nanocomposites: effect of AgNO₃ adding sequence on mechanical and antimicrobial properties

Supa Wirasate

    Antimicrobial products have gained considerable attention from various industries, including medical, food-related and in-house product industries. Among the inorganic antimicrobial agents, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been reported to provide protection against a wide range of bacteria at very low concentration and have low toxicity. This work investigates the effect of AgNPs prepared by different AgNO₃ adding sequence on mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity of peroxide prevulcanized natural rubber (PPNR). 

This research work was financially supported by the Cluster and Program Management Office (CPMO), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand.

In this research, AgNO₃ was added into NR latex either before or after prevulcanization. Both mechanical and antibacterial properties of PPNR depended on the AgNO₃ adding sequence.  The antibacterial enhancement corresponded well with Ag⁺ release amount of PPNR/Ag nanocomposit